ischia adventure or the time we made all those memories related to transportation

Don't let the crappy iPhone photos fool you; this is an incredible place.  I'll write about it here today mostly because I use this space as a reference for future trips and because I think there might still be a person or two who come here looking for travel info. Maybe.

And, because, we love this place...yet understand completely that it might not do it for you.

Cascading Thermal Waters at Negombo

Top Advice

Visit Ischia during the off season, or at least the shoulder season.  We had absolutely perfect conditions for a romantic weekend away (sans kiddo) and were able to stay in a close-to-perfect hotel for a fraction of the cost. It's also kind of nice to be on the island at a time when the rest of Naples is not. Ha!

Sant'Angelo

Some Travel Details

Travel

Flight: easyJet | Venice to Naples

Lodging

Naples | Capo Inn after a late arrival Friday night (This plan was foiled by EasyJet.)

Ischia | Park Hotel Miramare in Sant'Angelo  (4 star)   Boy, is this place nice. Wow. It's not the Roosevelt in New Orleans, but it masters the Mediterranean charm; our room had a balcony with an unmatched view that allowed us to watch the sunrise from bed. Romance, friends. Pure romance. It also offers friendly and helpful people along with a lovely breakfast and incredible terrace for lounging and wine consumption.

All this adventure is exhausting!

Thermal Spa

Aphrodite Apollon in Sant'Angelo Saturday because it is included in the hotel stay.

Negombo on Sunday because it is simply paradise. (The pedicures and massages at Negombo were not anything to get excited about, though. Skip it. Ask the cab driver for a discount ticket.)

Hotel View to Maronti Beach

Eating

Ristorante Montecorvo

This place was completely out of the way, but we had a friend with a car on the island who selected it, so we were able to make the trek. While the cuisine was not exactly typical Mediterranean fare, it was outstanding and the people were, again, fabulous. At the end of the meal, the boisterous Chef Giovanni joined our table to chat politics and philosophy. His self-sustaining life on top of a mountain (hill?) on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean sparks a little envy in me, I must confess. I might return to the restaurant...the drive was horrific; a walk would be impossible.

This is what heaven tastes like.

Not Our Favorite, but the Location is Tops

Transportation (in which I list EVERY type we used the entire three-day weekend)

POV (personally owned vehicle), regional train, fast train, taxi, ferry, public bus, friend's tiny island car stuffed with five adults -- 3 men over 6 foot tall, private taxi, hydrofoil, airplane

At one point there was this horse...we passed on it.

We lived our Amazing Race fantasies, to say the least.

Adventure! on the Ferry to Ischia

A note:

Our easyJet flight became not-so-easy when it was cancelled after several delays Friday night. We weighed the options of waiting for a morning flight, driving a POV or rented car, or taking a train. We ended up in a sleeper car on a regional train with Trenitalia, which was not nearly as bad as I had imagined it would be. ADVENTURE...that's what we called it.  Making memories.

That Tiny Car!

Perfect Breakfast: Fresh Ricotta and Prosciutto

Another note:

Buses on Ischia pretty much circumnavigate the island and are marked with "D" or "S" for destra or sinistra (right or left). Take the wrong direction and a quick 15 minute ride turns into a 90 minute death chariot to hell. Ask me how I know. 

ADVENTURE, friends! 

Ischia Porto after a Long Travel Adventure

Negombo Thermal Pool

Our Hotel Room

Here you can read about that other time we went to Ishcia in 2012.

Here you can see snapshots from our visit there in Summer 2014.

Hotel Terrace

A Little Boat We Did Not Take

Park Hotel Miramare

It was a bit more adventure than we bargained for on our kid-free, spa weekend in Southern Italy, but it was all good, nonetheless. We traveled with an easy couple we've know for nearly 10 years now, and after sleeping together in a sleeper car on a slow (-ish) train that we boarded at midnight, I think we can do most anything together. Making memories. 

......

My next kid-free, Southern Italy trip:  Sperlonga. These, of course, are all romantic places that Richard and I visited BEFORE Young One entered the scene. You understand the desire to return, right?  If only I could remember the name of the hotel in Sperlonga, for it was another that allowed us to watch the sunrise through the open French doors while lounging in our wrought iron bed as the sheer curtains danced upon on the colorful tile-covered floor in the warm sea breeze. Clothing optional.

 You have the place to yourself! I love it. Just a small section of the Parco Termale & Spa Negombo.

six days in ischia

Ischia, the largest of the Phlegrean Islands, is a volcanic island that sits just off the coast of Naples. While many flock to the famous jet-set island of Capri or the quiet fisherman's island of Procida, my dear husband has always preferred Ischia for its unpretentious appeal to the commoner and its natural beauty. We spent a week there with some friends at the end of July.

Getting there :: We took a ferry with Medmar from the port of Pozzuoli to Ischia Porto and were able to purchase tickets right at the port without issue, though it appears reservations can be made online in advance. While we elected to bring our car to the island, it is also possible to travel without a car and use either public busses or taxis once on the island.

Exploring :: Richard is not a "sit at the beach all day" kind of guy (me either, really), so we decided on a bit of exploring / activities for this trip that extended beyond the beach nearest our hotel. There is A LOT to do and see on this little island, much more than I remembered.

Favorite Beach :: Cava Grado is an intimate beach at an inlet near St. Angelo that includes a full service bar and chair & umbrella rental that can be reached from out hotel only by climbing millions of steps. Every step is worth it once you arrive! Gorgeous. It's small scale, with maybe twenty umbrellas on about a third of the beach. Calm and tranquil. Perfect for us.

Strolling :: The town of Forio includes a pedestrian area complete with a romantic fountain and street musicians that is perfect for strolling and people-watching. We visited on a particularly overcast day, and, well, be warned...everyone on the island is strolling or grocery shopping on overcast days. The white stuccoed Chiesa del Soccorso sits high upon a cliff near the sea in Forio.




Thermal Springs :: The island is world (?) famous for her thermal spring waters.  Many, many people believe in the curative and healing power of these natural, heated mineral waters from within the Earth and flock to places like Ischia in search of well-being. While it is possible to access some of these waters in public spaces, Ischia is covered from end-to-end with thermal spas offering pools of waters at varying degrees as well as a host of spa treatments from foot massages to nasal treatments.

The first spa we visited, Parco Termale Aphrodite Apollon, is situated just above Maronti Beach around the corner from St. Angelo. This place provided incredible views of the sea with Capri in the distance. Although Young One is pictured below in the thermal pool, children are not allowed to partake. (It's bad for them?) We arrived early, and she took a dip before anyone noticed. Otherwise, she spent the day at the connected beach or in the chlorinated pool for kids.




Castles :: Ischia is home to Castello Aragonese, which sits upon a little island connected to the main island via foot bridge. The beautifully restored castle dates back to 474 BC and has changed hands and served many purposes during those years. In fact, its charm was a bit of a surprise to us once we entered. A brochure in English we received when purchasing our ticket took us on a guided and informative tour of the castle, including stories of dying nuns and princesses in towers. I would highly recommend a visit to the castle and a stop at the bar for the view pictured below (and I'm not one big on castles ;)




Motorino :: And on the fourth day we rented a pair of scooters for the entire day, which undoubtedly was Young One's absolute favorite part of the week. We circled the island and simply explored up and down alleys and paths, stopping for refreshment breaks (coffee and gelato) when the mood hit us. This, too, is top of my list of recommendations for anyone visiting Ischia. Next time I plan to rent a boat, too!
 


Thermal Spa #2 :: Negombo Okay. Really. I could have just spent the week here and been a happy woman. I'm thankful that we saved it for the last day as no other place could really compare to it. This is one of the two most popular spas on the island and is just a perfect piece of paradise in our eyes. Starting with the private beach at the cove, to the olympic-sized salt water pool for the children, to host of thermal pools including a Japanese rock pool and cascading, massaging waterfall pool to attendants on duty everywhere to the flora to the cleanliness to the grass umbrellas to the SUSHI bar ... I will be back. This is living, my friends. I think I had a few moments of "Pinch me, I must be dreaming!" throughout the day.
 

..............

Other thoughts ....
:: Not many Americans visit Ischia. Negombo was full of Italians and the other spa was full of Eastern Europeans (as was our hotel.) It's also quite popular with Germans at other times of the year.
:: We stayed in a 2 star hotel with half board. I can safely say we will never do either of those again, at least not in Ischia.
:: Everyone uses the bus system. Not everyone buys a ticket.
:: St. Angelo is our favorite part of the island; we first visited it years ago on Richard's scooter, before Young One arrived on the scene. It is, however, not nearly as romantic when visiting with six adults and three running, screaming, gelato-seeking children.
:: There is a volcano to hike here, too: Mt. Epomeo. We had our fill of volcanoes with Vesuvio the weekend prior.
:: Just about every beach has a public spot, but don't expect that spot to be so meticulously maintained.  Though I read horror stories of dirty beaches and water before arriving, we did not encounter this. Of course, we rent the chairs and umbrellas on the beach, giving us access to the private areas.
:: I carried my point and shoot instead of my DSLR throughout most of this trip.
:: I would love to spend a romantic spa weekend here sans Young One. Ready to book, Richard? It's just a short plane ride away!

a stroll in Mimmo's garden

Welcome to a walk through Mimmo's garden. Richard and I first lived together in an apartment owned by Mimmo and Silvana in Pozzuoli, high above Lago D'Averno, Virgil's entrance to the underworld in  the Aeneid; this is the same apartment we brought our new born baby girl to all those years ago. We visited with Mimmo and Silvana during our recent road trip to the South and were invited to explore the unbelievable garden.

..............................................

The entry to the bar and cantina sits in the courtyard of apartment "Kara," thusly named for the first female to live in the apartment. An unexpected surprise awaits below the ground in the form of a cantina and bar. We lived in the apartment in the foreground of this photo, a photo that was taken from the terraced garden above the lower apartments.

We do consider ourselves lucky to make this trip back in time and to be able to share these places with Young One thanks to the gracious hospitality and kindness of Mimmo and Silvana.

the volcano vesuvio

Richard, who will quickly tell you that Napoli is his home as it is the place he has spent the most time in his life, relishes the fact that his one and only baby girl was born there. Okay, well, technically the kid was born in a US Navy hospital inside a guarded base located in one of the uglier parts of the greater Napoli area...but he glosses over that fact, mostly. (You would, too!)

Oh, how he misses it!

From the time Young One would listen to his stories, he has shared all the beautiful and important things about "their city" with her. One of those that has become pretty popular as of late is the active volcano: Mt. Vesuvius. When you are eight and living among a bunch of people who were not born in the shadow of a famous active volcano, then this detail carries a certain "awe" or "wow" factor among peers. Throw in Pompeii, and you own the birth story category of childhood coolness.

It was for this reason alone that we hiked all the way up to the rim of the crater recently. The girl desperately wanted to do it; Vesuvio is part of her story.

Well, and he was happy to do it, too, because Vesuvio is part of his story as well. To be able to share this first experience with her meant a great deal to him. And me? I was just along to take pictures.
 


Some tips from our experience:
We arrived early and were able to easily find parking in the lot near the ticket office. I think Richard paid a couple of Euro to park. We bought entry tickets with no issues (8 Euro each) and then started the long and winding hike. While there are a few stops along the way offering souvenirs and refreshments, we each carried a bottle of water (which was quickly emptied.) The winding path is somewhat steep and is composed of gravel for most of the 800 meter hike. We all wore sneakers that were FILTHY by the time we finished, and we were pretty grimy, too. At the start of the hike there were a couple of guys offering the use of walking sticks for a small donation. We passed on this, but we should have taken the sticks from the start, especially with the loose gravel. The sun was fierce, even in the morning. Young One suffered a pretty nasty fall as she was jumping around along the path, leaving her with a cut and dramatic blood running from her knee; someone quickly noticed and directed us to first aid station. After a bit of hydrogen peroxide and a bandaid, we eventually convinced her that she could continue the hike. This took much coaxing, especially after one of the guides offered to drive us down the path. A ride in a Fiat Panda down a steep path about the width of the Panda while dodging weary tourists ... no thank you! Instead I found a few abandoned walking sticks and my dramatic girl limped the entire way down. The guides manning the station were extremely kind and helpful and even gave her a couple of beautiful rocks from the crater to assuage her pain, and I'm sure they are great drivers.

......................

PS. I am forever grateful that Young One, who came into the world dramatically via emergency Caesarean, was born in the comfort and competent care of that US Navy hospital, by the way. On this trip, we also took her to visit this hospital.