Ischia Things to Do

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Take the ferry to mainland Naples, then take a bus to the train station and take the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii. At the entrance to Pompeii, you will receive little brochures and guidebooks to tell you what is what. There are little hand held narrators available, you simply look for the number in the book and it matches with the number of the the different locations. It will give you a narration concerning that specific site in your own language. Pompeii is a wonderful site. Be sure to bring your camera and extra memory stick - one or two full water bottles Wear comfortable shoes that support your feet and ankles ( A lot of uneven terrain)

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The Aragonese Castle stands on a volcanic rock connected to the island by a bridge first built in 1438 by Alfonso of Aragon. The Castle was completed in 1492. Gerone of Siracusa constructed the first castle on this site - a simple tower - in 474 BC. The castle and surrounding grounds can be toured for the cost of 10 Euros. You can eat lunch at a little cafe inside. The panoramic views of the Bay of Naples are breathtaking. You will receive a map and a brochure when you pay your entrance fee. I would recommend giving yourself at least 2 - 3 hours to enjoy your self-guided tour of the castle.

If you choose, you can even stay in one of the available rooms instead of a hotel.
If you would like to stay in the castle - see the info listed below.

More a cove than a beach - thermal springs run down into the sea, and form hot rock pools to sit in. Access is by stairs down the cliff. The beach itself is free, with a good value cafe/bar and toilet at the bottom of the clif, beside the 'beach'. You can also get thermal mud treatments painted on you for a few euro. One tip is to wear flip-flops or shoes in the pools, as the rocks can be quite sharp and cut your feet.

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From Ischia Port, you can find many boats available to take you around the island. It is a wonderful trip. The boat will stop in the major ports like Casamicciola and Forio to pick more passengers. Then the boat will tie up in Sant Angelo and you will have time to go visit this other port town. I would definitely recommend this trip. If you would like to do this tour, just come to Ischia Port around 9:00 am and look for the boats lined up. You could buy tickets in advance, but with the number of boats lined up ready to go, there is really no need.The tour will take you completely around the island and bring you back to the starting point. Very enjoyable day trip!

NAPLES TO POMPEII

The fast aliscafi hydrofoil from Ischia to Naples (Molo Beverello) costs 22 Euros return and is not recommended because of the fixed return time. Much better to get a single on an ordinary Caremar ferry and then your time of return is more flexible.

Once in Naples I walked towards the railway station. Take care and avoid disreputable types hanging around quiet stretches of street near the docks.

Piazza Garibaldi, next the railway station, was deep in stinking garbage and the populace seemed made up of beggar women and evil-looking pimps. Naples has some of the loveliest and some of the most venal-looking faces in the world. From the station I took the Circumvesuviana train that heads to Pompeii and Sorrento. Naples and its surrounds have deteriorated dramatically. The Circumvesuviana trains and most of the stations are completely covered in graffiti. My train contained at least one madman and a horde of intimidating young men.

Pompeii was full of sometimes impolite parties of Italian school kids. But Pompeii is still fabulous: acres and acres of Roman streets and buildings. I did not travel on to Sorrento. I had heard that, like Naples, it also has deteriorated.

At one end of Capri is Villa Jovis to which Roman emperor Tiberius retired in 27 AD, allegedly to live a life of vice and debauchery.

To get there, start at the main square in Capri Town. The route is free of motor traffic. Follow Via Botteghe out of the square. There are signposts. It's about a half hour walk up gentle slopes.

You pass wonderful villas with beautiful gardens and have views of distant islands. Villa Jovis is a bit of a ruin but it only costs 2 Euros to get in. The gardens next to the vill have some of the world's most amazing views - of cliffs and stacks and distant domes and distant mountains.

Close to Villa Jovis is a little restaurant where you can enjoy wine and mozarrelo with tomatoes.

CAPRI

Almost traffic free island

I took the Caremar aliscafi hydrofoil to Capri, a boat journey of 40 minutes, costing about £15 return. I walked from the port, Marina Grande, up the very steep twisting road to Capri town: wonderful views of villas and flowers and yachts, but a long walk. I would recommend taking the funicular. Tickets are bought at a hut next to the pier (turn right as you exit the pier). A ticket can include buses and last all day. The entrance to the funicular is opposite the pier.

This was May, but, unlike in Ischia, Capri Town was crowded with tourists, mainly large tour groups of the portly and elderly, but also a few people with film-star good looks. From Capri Town I took a bus up to the town of Anacapri. This narrow, steep, z-bend road has been known to suffer from rock falls. I got off at the first stop in Anacapri, crossed the road, and followed the sign for Villa San Michele. It's a short walk along a path to one of the world's great sights.

At the age of 18, Swedish doctor and author Axel Munthe visited Capri and decided that some day he would build a house on the island. Its loggias would be full of light, and there would be a small chapel, a vineyard, and old statues in the garden. After practising in Paris and Italy, Munthe became in 1903 physician to the Swedish Royal family. THE STORY OF SAN MICHELE (1929) is an account of Munthe's experience as a doctor in Paris and Rome, and in semi-retirement at the villa of San Michele on the island of Capri. Both realistic and mystical, the book became a world-wide best seller, one of the most famous books ever written. Munthe built his villa on the site of a villa of the emperor Tiberius, high up on the rocky ledges just northeast of Anacapri, at the foot of Mount Barbarossa.

Villa san Michele: a villa and garden decorated with beautiful pillars and statues; a curving terrace with views down to Marina Grande.

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From Ischia Port, it is only about 9 miles to Sant' Angelo. You can travel by bus, car or boat. It is a beautiful little coastal town.