Isle of Ischia

ISLE OF ISCHIA – WHY GO?

Less well known than glamorous Capri, Ischia is easily reached by boat or hydrofoil from Naples and smaller towns along the coast. Less cosmopolitan and more Italian in feel, the island has some lovely gardens and secluded coves.

MUST SEE, MUST DO

Castello Aragonese
Climb up to Castello Aragonese – reached by a stone bridge and an old mule track – standing sentinel on a small islet off the beach at Ischia Ponte

Giardini Poseidon
Wallow in some of the 22 hot thermal pools at Giardini Poseidon. If you're staying at five-star Mezzatorre Resort, sign up to a well-being programme or submit to a mud bath, hot stone therapy or bio-exfoliant body peel.

Boat trips
Take a boat trip to Capri or Sorrento. Ferries for points along the Amalfi coast call regularly at Ischia.

La Mortella
The exquisite La Mortella gardens, one-time home of composer William Walton, are the setting for summer classical concerts and opera.

Ischia Ponte
Head to the little town of Ischia Ponte and check out the stores along trendy Via Roma and Corso Vittorio Colonna. Ischia is a great place to buy basketwork, local honey and terracotta.

MAKE A DATE

June

Ischia's Foreign Film Festival screens both retrospective movies from the 1950s and 60s, and new releases.

July

Check out the array of local wines and eats at Vinischia, dedicated to the produce of Campania.

ISCHIA ROMANCE

Star-gaze from your terrace after dark with a local Ischian wine and take in the scents of a Mediterranean night.