BBC - h2g2 - ISCHIA, an island of Spas

In the beautiful Bay of Naples, Italy, in the sun, lie six islands. The furthest from the city, and quite separate from the others, is Capri, well known as a resting place for the stars of stage and screen, for the trousers that were the rage in the 1950s, and for a small but impressive blue grotto, a cave lit in turquoise by underwater daylight. The nearest island to Naples is Procida, unvisited by tourists and a working island with lemon groves and a seafaring tradition. Beyond Procida is the very much larger island of Ischia. The other islands are now uninhabited.

Ischia is a major holiday destination for the good people of Milan, maybe half the size of the Isle of Wight in the UK. They come, or at least the women come, for the spas. Ischia is a volcanic island with many thermal springs and resorts that have grown up to exploit them, offering relief from rheumatic ailments in particular. The men come, as Italian men do, for and with the women.

Getting There

The best way, indeed the only way unless you have access to a helicopter or private yacht, is to take the frequent car ferries and hydrofoils from Naples. A car, motor bike or scooter is necessary if you wish to explore more than the coastal strip, and these are best hired in Naples. The ferry takes you to the only port on the island, Porto Ischia, next to Ischia town. The main road out of the port runs two thirds of the way around the island, around the north and west coasts and halfway down the southern coast to San Angelo, passing through the major towns as it does so, with scarcely a gap between. If you wish to venture beyond this road you will need a very small car, or two wheeled transport.

Staying There

Should you wish to visit in July and August, you need to book in advance. Outside of these peak months accommodation of all kinds is generally available. Camping sites are limited and organised. A stay in one of the spa resorts is probably best booked as a package from an Italian specialist travel operator, who would also be able to find you independent hotel or self-catering accommodation should you wish to explore several spas. Ischia is not a common destination from the UK or the USA, although quite popular with the Swiss and Germans.

Some History

The Ancient Greeks from Evia¹ were the first of many invaders, arriving around 800 BC to find an apparently small native population. They built a large town (most of the ruins have been destroyed by subsequent volcanic activity) to judge from the size of the surviving necropolis² and used it as a base to found Naples and dominate the surrounding area. They were followed in turn by the Syracusans and then the Romans. In Roman times, the island declined, probably due to constant interruption by the volcanoes. They swapped it with the Neapolitan government of the day for the much smaller Capri. Then came the Visigoths, and a long list of other invaders including Saracens, Normans, Sicilians, Aragonese (Spain), Austrians, Bourbons, British and French. In between times the various governments of Naples exerted some control, and there were also periods of anarchy. In the sixteenth century the island fell to the Turkish pirate Barbarossa for a few years. Eventually, in 1862, Ischia became a province of Naples and remains so today. The enticement for all these visitors was then, as now, the thermal waters.

Some Geology

The island is dominated by Monte Epomeo. Although often assumed to be so, it is not a volcano. In fact there are some 40 separate volcanic centres scattered throughout the island, mostly in the west. There have been a great many eruptions since prehistoric times, with settlements and towns being destroyed with some regularity but there have been no volcanic eruptions for some 700 years. There is, however, continual activity below ground, resulting in earthquakes and landslides, and, of course, the hot sulphurous springs that have been the island's main claim to fame and fortune. The last major incident was an earthquake in 1883 when the resort of Casamicciola was destroyed with considerable loss of life.

The Interior, and South and East Coastlines

Away from the main coastal strip, Ischia is quiet, peaceful and rural. Monte Epomeo dominates the south east of the island, with a rugged and largely inaccessible coast beneath. Such roads as there are wind precariously up and down the hillsides with dramatic views and largely unguarded drops from the tarmac to oblivion, connecting the quiet villages.

The island is small enough to be encircled in a day by small boats, and that is a favoured pastime for the Neapolitan weekend sailors. There are many bays, coves and beaches only reachable by sea, and they provide safe havens for swimming and diving from your boat, whether a humble outboard powered dinghy or a dubiously financed gin-palace. Some of the bays have small bars and restaurants and will host many a sunday lunchtime get-together of boisterous extended families. Boats are easily hired should you wish to join them.

The Waters

The main reason to visit Ischia is to indulge in the various therapies associated with the many spa resorts, tropical gardens interspersed with a variety of pools and treatment centres. Here you can wallow in mud, be wrapped in seaweed, be hosed down with pressure jets, luxuriate in jacuzzis etc etc. And its all supposed to do you good, and cure you of everything! Many of the spas operate a daily entrance, whereby the casual visitor can enter the complex for a (not very small) fee, and either idle about in different temperature pools, lie around in the sun or elect for special treatments at additional cost. Some are more concerned with medical therapies, others opt for luxury and beauty treatments. The general practice seems to be that the women go for the pampering, while the men sit and lie about in the sun, surveying any stray females from behind very dark glasses whilst talking incessantly on their mobile phones. Perhaps because of the expense, children are rarely seen cavorting in the spas.

Nightlife

This is Italy. Once parents have been re-united with children and their grandparents, the smartly dressed family may take a stroll around the bars, cafes and shops (which are far less chichi than those on Capri), ending up in a restaurant for a long meal, followed by another stroll for Ice Cream, whereupon the children will return to base with grandma, leaving the parents to spend some time together. This is a holiday island, with a fair share of the tacky and commercial, especially in the larger towns. Nonetheless, enjoyable and fun. The small town of San Angelo, at the end of the main road, is more sophisticated, with an offshore, causeway-linked, islet.

The Drawbacks

Ischia is very, very busy in peak season. Like other island resorts, it tends to be expensive. It is extremely hot in July and August. Extremely³. It has little to offer backpackers and young singles.

So, Why Go?

To be spoilt, of course! To indulge and be pampered while pretending its for your health! The British have not been overly taken with the ideas of spas as a resort, which is Ischia's claim to fame. It is therefore a delight to find oneself on a mediterranean island where no English is spoken. Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast, and Capri, have long been known to the wealthier British tourist. Ischia's charms for the Brits have been more obscure. The composer William Walton held court there to many of the glitterati of the London stage, including Lawrence Olivier and Joan Plowright in their clandestine courting days. For the most part, however, the charms of Ischia seems to have passed the British package tourist by. The recent film The Talented Mr Ripley.⁴ was partly filmed on the island and may arouse some interest, and perhaps the ever-growing interest in alternative health treatments will provoke a greater awareness of this Island in the sun where Pampering and Self-indulgence is a way of life.


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