One day trip from Naples: Ischia island

The main reason behind this quick visit to Ischia is the sudden embarrassment I had when I realised that I've lived in Naples for 10 years and I've never been to this island!

Exactly, I never took the advantage back when I was in Naples, I had to take a flight from London instead (genius!) 😅

I bought the ferry tickets at Pozzuoli harbour straight from the Caremar ticket office. I paid 35€ return for 2 tickets to Casamicciola harbour (me and mum, our small dog shipped for free). Our ferry made a stopover in Procida and in about an hour landed in Ischia.

Just after landing, we had to decide how to move around the island. We had 3 options:

• Rent a car (35€ per day);
• Surrend to the harassing taxi drivers (they asked 30€ just to bring us to the other side of the island);
• Buy a daily ticket for buses (3.60€ only!)

We definitely went for the third option. The reliability of the service left me positively impressed: we didn't wait more than 10 minutes at every bus stop!

The day was sunny and the temperature was perfect for a pleasant walk.

We headed west to Lacco Ameno.
The first thing that caught my attention was il fungo ("the mushroom"), the village icon. It's a big green rock plunged into the sea, right in front of the beach: it was formed by the eruption of Mount Epomeo and then crafted by the sea through the years until it gained this peculiar shape that reminds a mushroom.

Walking around these streets I stopped to snap pictures at every corner: they're so Italian! The decorated tiled stairs, the news stand, the Vespas parked along the streets, the flowers pots, the old street lamps, children playing football on the Church square, the restaurants on the beach!

We sat on the beach eating a sandwich and enjoying the sun, then quickly moved to the next stop: it was already lunchtime!

In less than 10 minutes the bus arrived at Forio d'Ischia, throwing me straight back to the 90s!
The truth is, I've already been to Ischia, back when I was a child, so my memories were blurry. Forio bombed me with the images of its alleys, the Church, the bars, the pottery workshops, and the boutiques I've already seen but completely forgotten. It stayed the same as my childhood memories: pure white, silent, and slightly damaged ❤

Punta del Soccorso was our next stop, 5 minutes walking from Forio.
It was lunch time, streets were empty, windows and doors were half closed.
We took a lemon slush and went to enjoy the beautiful Chiesa del Soccorso, a small white church surrounded only by the blue of the sky and the sea. This chapel has two circular flight of steps covered by colorful majolica dated back to 1700.
Leaning out I could see the crystal-clear sea... I untied my dog and went down the stairs to touch that marvel: too bad it wasn't warm enough to have a swim!

We rested a little bit, I snapped dozens of pictures and it was already 3 pm! We had to run to our last stop!

It took us half an hour to get to Sant'Angelo, but that was ok as the village is really small: one hour is enough to visit!

In a shop that sell typical local products we bought limoncello biscuits and pasta spices 😋

The walk toward the village rewards with a stunning view: the sea is crystal clear here too, the colorful houses are gathered together on the left hand side, on the beach and on the right hand side at the bottom of the little island, which is connected to the main land by a trail.
Bar, shops and restaurants are gathered on the little square facing the beach: they've started to be busy with tourists!
It would have been nice to stay until sunset and see how the lights slowly turn on, making the atmosphere more romantic than ever...but our time was running out.

Sant'Angelo is definitely my favourite part of Ischia 😍

Ischia absolutely deserves a longer time to be fully appreciated, I'd say at least a whole weekend.
It would have been lovely jumping into the sea, relaxing on one of the gorgeous beaches (Maronti beach, for example), going to the famous thermal baths, or visiting Castello Aragonese.
But this day out has been a Mother's day present for my mum, and she had to work the day after, so...we had to be happy with a quick walk 😅

Other ideas on how to spend your time in Naples and around? Here are some ideas:

• One day trip from Naples: Procida island
• How to visit Capri in one day
• Naples in one day
• Naples, what to see in Rione Sanita' district

I hope you enjoyed it, and if you find it useful or need more info, just email me at flavia.iarlori@outlook.com 😉