With its 64.000 inhabitants theisland of Ischia it is the third most populous in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia. Light years away from the fame of the smaller but more publicized Capri, its fame as a wonderful tourist resort is relatively recent. But its beauties and its panoramas they have nothing to envy to any Italian seaside resort.
Island of vases ... or of monkeys?
Located in the gulf of Napoli, Ischia was already known at the time of the Greeks, who called it Pithekoussai. The etymology of this name is uncertain, as many (but not all) scholars associate it with the term pithekos, what does it mean monkey. This term, in fact, alludes to myth of the Cercopi, the inhabitants of the Phlegrean islands that Zeus transformed into apes. This theory, however, clashes with that of the historian Pliny the Elder. In fact, he derives the Greek name of the island from pythos (amphora), given the numerous finds of ancient vases on the island and in the Gulf of Naples. It is certainly also the passage of the Phoenicians on the island, of which they appreciated the position, perfect for their commercial traffic.
In possession of important fortifications such as the Aragonese castle, built on a pre-existing structure that had the same defensive functions, the island linked its fate to the dominations that possessed it (Greeks, Romans and the various rulers of Naples). Also for this one of his purely defensive function, the beauties of Ischia were always underestimated and its inhabitants have always been fishermen and farmers. It was the publisher Angelo Rizzoli to make known the tourist potential of the island to the world when in 1951 he landed there with his gullible. Within a few years, celebrities from all over the world began to spend their holidays here, causing a strong surge in the creation of hotel and spa facilities.
The beauties of the green island
The island of Ischia, in fact, is equipped with thermal waters alkaline known since the time of the Greeks, who believed that these springs could really extend the life of those who dived there. The waters of the source of Nitrodi, for example, they have exceptional properties for treating bladder and stomach dysfunctions.
But they are the beaches the most obvious and spectacular attraction of the island. The largest and most comfortable is the Chiaia in Forio d'Ischia, literally taken by storm during the summer season. If, on the other hand, you want a more peaceful and reserved context, there is Bay of San Montano, located in Lacco Ameno. The spectacle of clear water in contact with the golden sand is absolutely postcard-worthy. There beach of the Maronti, reachable by boat from Sant'Angelo, unlike the previous ones it has a fine and dark sand, and is heated by thermal waters that flow into the sea. This phenomenon is also perceived a Sorgeto of Ischia, even more enjoyable after the over 230 steps to be faced to reach it.
Among the other attractions of the island, in addition to the already mentioned Aragonese Castle, located on an islet and accessible via a bridge that connects it to the island, we can mention the Chiesa dell'Immacolata, whose raised position offers a splendid glimpse of the whole panorama Ischia.
Last place to mention, but not least, is Borgo Sant'Angelo, where the VIPs and the wealthy spend their holidays every year away from the crowd of mere mortals. Ischia, in any case, is primarily the patrimony of the proud Ischitans, who defend its customs and traditions. And woe to speak ill of it! To use one of their aphorisms, which refers to the earthquake that shattered Ischia in 1883, "there Casamicciola will succeed».
