DAY 1 / CIAO FORIO!
- Flight: I flew in to the Naples airport from London and took a taxi to the Naples port. *Hot Tip: I wish I would have known that you can negotiate the taxi price with the driver, but you must do so before you set off. I ended up paying a couple euros more than the posted pricing in my taxi because I did not set a price in advance*.
- Ferry: I caught my ferry to Forio, a town on the island of Ischia. I used the website FerryHopper to book my tickets in advance, it’s a very easy to use site, and while I had ferry trips with both the Alilauro and SNAV ferry companies, I found Alilauro to be a smoother experience with Staff who put more time and effort into directing passengers on/off the Ferries. Arriving in Forio made my heart pitter-patter a bit- it’s a quaint little seaside town, and so cute as you arrive by water! It has just the right amount of bustling energy and relaxing vibes. I was there in September and noticed immediately that it didn’t feel at all overrun with tourists – I enjoyed hearing mostly Italian.
- Hotel: I stayed at Hotel Umberto A Mare and can thoroughly recommend – it has a beautiful location overlooking the ocean but also walking distance to one of the main shopping / restaurant and cafe-lined streets of Forio and the rooms have little balconies to sit and listen to the water lap below.
- Dinner: The first evening I strolled along the Corso Francesco Regine and stopped in for dinner at a cute little restaurant, then wandered into some shops and bought a striped linen shirt to wear to the beach.
DAY 2 / TO THE HOT SPRINGS!
- Breakfast: One of the my favorite parts of each day on Ischia was breakfast at Umberto al Mare (included in the room rate). The breakfast area is a little vine-covered patio overlooking the water and coastline of Ischia, and once you find an open table (if memory serves, there were only about 6 or 7 to choose from) and sit down, a member of the Staff brings you a plate full of fresh fruit and cake, and asks what else you’d like – Cappucino? Cheese? Yogurt? – To be honest I didn’t ask for a full rundown of what additional items I *could* ask for, but a highlight was definitely taking my time and enjoying breakfast on that beautiful little patio.
- Late Morning: Laid out on Umberto al Mare’s sundeck overlooking the water and worked on my tan.
- Early afternoon: The hotel called me a taxi to Negombo, a private thermal spa park with a beautiful beach, restaurant, and a pathway along which there are different hot springs to experience – some hot, some cold, some hot and cold, one in a cave, one with cascading waters – While I only spent about 4 hours there, I wouldn’t hesitate to spend an entire day on my next visit.
- Evening: I took a stroll along the waterfront near the Forio port and chose one of the many restaurants to sit outside, have dinner and people-watch.
DAY 3 / DAY TRIP: PROCIDA
- Morning: Yesterday’s morning routine made me so happy, I repeated the leisurely breakfast and sundeck routine.
- Early Afternoon: I arranged with yesterday’s cab driver to pick me up again today, and arrived at the Casamicciola Port around 1:30pm to hop on my 1:50pm Ferry to the nearby island of Procida. The boarding process was smooth and it was a 20 minute ride to Procida.
- Afternoon / Evening: I walked around Procida – It was very walkable, and I made my way from the port over to the Marina Cornicella, which I’ve read was a filming location in The Talented Mr. Ripley. I wandered along the water and found a spot for lunch – and was delighted to see there was no english on the menu. After lunch, I continued to wander around the island, hiking higher and higher – which was worth the effort for the beautiful views.
DAY 4 / Beach Club and Sant’Angelo
Morning: After my daily leisurely breakfast at the hotel, I got picked up by the same taxi driver I used the entire trip to head across the island and make my 10:00am reservation at Giardino Eden. Since this was already September, the place was very quiet, and I got my choice of sun loungers – I chose to be right on the water overlooking the Castello Aragonese, and was very happy with this choice. While I arrived by vintage Ape Calessino, I observed others arriving by a small boat. I had lunch and drinks by the water. The menu and quality of the food was so-so, but the atmosphere, views, and experience more than made up for it. I stayed at Giardino Eden until about 3:00pm, when i literally tore myself away from my sun lounger and *made* myself catch a taxi to Sant’Angelo.
Afternoon: The taxi to Sant’Angelo was quite expensive, and while Sant’Angelo was cute, I can’t quite put my finger on why it was not my favorite. Perhaps my impression was soured by the 50euro or so taxi ride.
Evening: After a stroll and some gelato in Sant’Angelo, I took a taxi back to my hotel, where I turned in early in anticipation of my very early ferry back to Naples the next morning. Although I originally arrived at the Forio port, I sailed out of the Casamicciola port on the way back – about 20 minutes or so from Forio.
CIAO ISCHIA, I WILL BE BACK!
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