Hotel Luna Convento · Since 1818
Two hundred years of history written in the Golden Books
1818 – Today
Nearly two hundred years have passed since the conversion of the Franciscan Convent — founded in the 13th century by Saint Francis of Assisi — first into an inn, then into a historic hotel, named "Hotel Luna Convento" and managed uninterruptedly by five generations of the Barbaro family.
In the ancient cloister, two large artistic photographs created by Angelo Tajani for historical research and his brother Claudio for the graphic and photographic work are on display: they illustrate the journey of tourism from the era of Grand Tour travellers to the present day. The panels highlight visitors from five continents through a selection of autographs, reviews, poems and images taken from the Golden Books — testimonies from personalities of the clergy, culture, art, politics and aristocracy.
The Cloister
Click the images to zoom in and explore every detail.
"They were drawn to these places by the beauties of the coast, the history of the ancient Maritime Republic and the relics of the Apostle Andrew entombed in the crypt of the Cathedral."
Literature & Art
France · 1840 - 1902
Writer and journalist, father of French naturalism and author of the Rougon-Macquart cycle. His J Accuse during the Dreyfus affair established him as a civic conscience of Europe. In Amalfi he found the quiet that Belle Epoque Paris could not offer.
Sweden · 1801 - 1865
Swedish writer and publicist, she inspired the feminist movement in Sweden. In the novel The President s Daughters she defended women s right to independence. Her stay in Amalfi deeply influenced her vision of the Mediterranean as a cradle of freedom.
France · 1908 - 1986
Philosopher, writer and public intellectual, author of The Second Sex. About her stay at Luna Convento she wrote of the terrace above the pearly sea, a perfect symbol of Amalfi s charm.
Norway · 1828 - 1906
The father of modern theatre stayed in Amalfi during his long years in Italy. The Tyrrhenian light and the convent atmosphere helped shape works such as A Doll s House and Peer Gynt.
Germany · 1804 - 1878
German landscape painter, he described the monastery as a place of extraordinary beauty: Moorish cloister, flowered garden and rooms overlooking the blue sea.
Sweden · 1844 - 1920
Swedish painter trained in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Dusseldorf. The Amalfi Coast became a recurring subject in his work and influenced the technique he later developed in Paris.
Music, Politics & Aristocracy
Germany · 1813 - 1883
Composer, poet and conductor, author of masterpieces such as Tristan und Isolde and the Ring cycle. During his stay at Luna Convento he found an atmosphere of rare inspiration.
Sweden · 1882 - 1973
King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden, scholar of archaeology and botany. He appreciated Amalfi s layered history, making his visit one of the most distinguished episodes in the hotel s story.
Italy · 1890 - 1981
Italian politician and anti fascist leader, partisan commander during the Liberation and first Prime Minister of liberated Italy in 1945. The Coast was for him a place of rest and reflection.
Italy · 1943
Member of the House of Savoy and Italian public figure. His visit confirms the hotel s link with European aristocracy throughout the twentieth century.
Sport
Sweden · 1925 - 2013
Swedish footballer known as Hasse, a key figure in Italian football after the war. His stay at Luna Convento reflects Amalfi s long relationship with major European sports figures.
A living legacy
The Golden Books of Luna Convento continue to fill up. From 1818 to today, every signature, every word written on those pages is a piece of a story that belongs not only to the hotel, but to Amalfi, the Coast and anyone who has chosen to stop here at least once in their life.
Book your stayFrom 1818 to today
Wagner, Ibsen, Zola, Simone de Beauvoir, kings of Sweden, heads of state and artists from five continents: all of them left their signature in Luna Convento's Golden Books.
Discover the gallery
