Ischia: Negombo Thermal Water Park

Negombo Thermal Water Park. Piscina termale: 34°C.

One of the main reasons that people come to Ischia is to benefit from the thermal waters. There are a variety of spas, water parks and even caves where people can enjoy the effects of the waters. The island’s natural volcanic activity has been harnessed for its curative powers as far back as 700 BC, when Ischia was first settled and discovered. In addition to the spas, there are also natural phenomena such as hot springs which provide free facilities. The natural hot springs of Sorgeto, for example, are a series of rock-pools in a small bay where the water is naturally heated by the volcanic activity. I hope to explore Sorgeto on my next visit to Ischia.

One of the more popular thermal pools. Seawater pool, ambient temperature.

This year I decided to check out the Negombo Thermal Water park. For 30 euros, you can spend the day exploring twelve different types of swimming pools and baths, each heated to a different temperature. The temperatures of the main pools range from 24° to 36° celsius but there is also a Japanese Labyrinth Bath where you walk through two channels, one that is 18° and one that is 38°C, one after the other, in order to improve circulation. (I found this one painful, as you walk on river pebbles!) There are also swimming pools, a sauna cave and a Turkish bath.

The Japanese Labyrinth

The park is located in Lacco Ameno,  a short ride on the bus from Ischia Porto. Once you get off the bus, there's a descent down a steep staircase, then a tricky 500 meter walk down and around several streets to reach the park. I followed the signs and found my way to the entrance.

The beach before the crowds arrive.

I arrived shortly after it opened and there were only a few other people there at that time, so we literally had the place to ourselves. I made a quick survey of the various parts of the park, and tried out most of the pools before settling in at a few that were the most enjoyable.

Templare: 30° C. These massaging cascades are great for sore necks and shoulders.

Though I checked out the beach when I first got to the park, I neglected to claim a lettino (sunbed), and when I returned a few hours later, they were almost all taken. I ended up in the next to the last row, when I could have had a choice spot in the first row next to the beach.

My spot at the beach. Enough space for five people!

One of the things I enjoyed most about Negombo was the lovely natural setting, which boasts more than 500 varieties of mediteranean and exotic plants.

I love the natural setting at Negombo

Last year I went to another thermal water park, Poseidon, which is located near Forio, on the west side of the island, but I much prefer Negombo. Poseidon is a little too "spic and span" for my taste, and guests are required to wear swim caps at all times. I'm sure I'll return to Negombo in the future. For more info on Poseidon, here's the post I wrote last year:

Ischia: Giardini Poseidon

Ischia: L'Isola Verde

Castello Aragonese, Ischia Ponte

Though it was raining when I left Naples, by the time I arrived in Ischia Porto, the sun was out in full force. It was only a 10-minute walk to the apartment I'd rented for the week, and I quickly settled in. Last year I stayed at hotel, which has since become overpriced, and decided to look for an apartment this year, which was relatively easy to do on Airbnb. Though I'd been hoping to stay in Ischia Ponte, I found a better deal in Ischia Porto, and am so glad I opted to choose to stay there. I ended up with a spacious apartment, which included a kitchen, a washing machine and a large terrace. Not only that, but it was close to the port, the main shopping street (via Roma), a free beach and a supermarket. From the port, I was able to catch buses to other parts of the island and various types of boats to other ports and islands.

La terrazza

On the first night of my stay, there was a festival going on: the last day of an event honoring the patron saint of the island, San Giovan Giuseppe della Croce. I wrote about this event at length last year, and you can read about it here:
 
Ischia: Festival, Food and Fireworks

Unfortunately, this year it was rainy during the festa, which literally dampened things, and fewer people were in attendance for many of the events. The town was lit up with bright lights, but several of the events were either postponed or cancelled. I was most interested in seeing the fireworks display at midnight, which I'd missed the year before. Instead, the fireworks went off the next day at 7 pm, and I heard them from three different parts of the island, so they must have been traveling on a boat. But since I'd been unaware of the time and place, I missed out on seeing them again this year. Che peccato!

Piazzale Aragonese

San Pietro Beach, where I spent many hours.

One of the main draws for me in Ischia is the beaches, and the chance to swim in the sea. I spent part of every day at San Pietro beach, either swimming, sunning, or walking along the shore. There were places to buy a ''spot" with a lettino (beach chair) and ombrello, but I opted for the free spaces and a beach towel. For more about beaches and gardens in Ischia, check out this link:

Ischia: Gardens and Beaches

Ischia: Gardens and Beaches

A maze of branches!

I visited one of the fabulous gardens that are open to the public in Ischia: La Martella, located near Forio. The garden was created by Susanna Walton, whose husband, William was a famous composer, though I've never heard of him before visiting the gardens. Russell Page, a famous British landscape architect, developed the layout of the garden,. Tropical and Mediterranean plants were planted and some have grown considerably over the years. The gardens include views over the city and harbor of Forio. I spent several hours walking the paths through a variety of gardens.

Walking in La Martella

A fountain to cool off with

A lily pond

Forio''s harbor

But the place I enjoyed most of all was Spiaggia dei Pescatori (Fisherman's beach), back in Ischia Ponte. Once I discovered it was free and a short walk from the B&B, I spent a few hours there every afternoon.

Spiaggia dei Pescatori

It's always entertaining to watch Italians at the beach. They stand in the water and chat, or congregate with friends and family under an umbrella to while the time away. Most women wear bikinis, whatever their age or shape. Since I live in a university town where young, fit bodies are the norm, it's comforting to see folks who aren't in shape and could care less how they look.

Having a chat by the sea

The sea was warm enough to swim in, and I got a good workout swimming out to some boats and then back again. I could easily get used to this kind of life!

Clothing optional for children

I enjoyed a wonderful week in Ischia and it's created more interest in checking out other island destinations in Italy. All too soon, the week was over and I headed back to Naples to catch a train north to the mountains of Trentino-Alto Adige.

Ischia: Giardini Poseidon

One of the thermal bath pools at Poseidon

One of the main attractions in Ischia is the thermal baths. I have a hard time imagining Americans taking this activity to heart as Europeans and Asians do, but it is a thriving business here. I opted to go to one of the large thermal bath parks on the island, called Poseidon Thermal Gardens. It's located south of Forio, in the bay of Citara on the southwest side of the island.

Showers for cooling/cleaning

The park takes advantage of the natural hot springs, and visitors are able to use 22 different swimming and bathing pools, each with their own different temperatures. It's run by Germans, which seems to take a different tone: more rules and regulations than their Italian counterparts, to keep things clean and running smoothly. All visitors must wear bathing caps in the pools, and no children under 12 are allowed. In addition, cell phones must be kept in silent mode. The result? A tranquil, relaxing environment. 

A mosaic of Poseidon

At Poseidon, one can spend the day in the park for 30 euros; for half a day, the discount is minimal. I had a 10% discount from the B&B, so I opted for the full day, though I only stayed about 5 hours. I heard Italian, German and several Scandinavian languages while I was there, but no English.

The Kneipp pools: the larger one is 40 degrees, the smaller one is 15 degrees. YOW!

From Ischia Review:
"The contrast in temperatures is most sharply felt at the Kneipp baths where you have a 15 degree pool next to a 40 degree pool. The idea is to spend up to 15 seconds in the extremely cold 15 degree pool before the welcome relief of the 40 degree pool next to it, a hydrotherapy system devised by the German priest, Sebastien Kneipp, from which the name derives.  Among the more unusual of the pools is the Japanese pool where you undergo a hot and cold hydrotherapy treatment. Using similar principles to the Kneipp baths, in the Japanese pool you walk alternately through very hot and very cold troughs with pebbles at the bottom which massage your feet."

Darn it, but I missed the Japanese pool! I tried all the other bathing pools, but didn't use the Turkish bath (steam) or the sauna that was available. I also didn't try the swimming pools, as I spent much of the summer in the swimming pool at home, so preferred to swim in the sea at Poseidon. For me, that was the best part of the day.

This gives you some idea of the surrounding scenery

I was pretty worn out when I left at 4 p.m., and still had a 30-minute bus ride back to Ischia Ponte. There's another large thermal park called Negombo that has a similar cost and variety of pools, but I decided to save that for another time. Instead, I wanted to spend more time hanging out on the free beaches near the B&B in Ischia Ponte.

Poseidon's private beach. This was heavenly!

There are a variety of other thermal baths on the island, and some expensive spas. In fact, there are over 100 thermal springs, so there's much more to explore! 

Ischia : Castello Aragonese

Castello Aragonese

Castello Aragonese has a rich history, and stands like a sentinel watching over the east end of the island of Ischia. First built by Greeks, then conquered by Roman and Spanish forces, the castle is the most visited monument of the island.

 

 
From Wikipedia:
"The castle, which stands on a volcanic rock, was built by Hiero I of Syracuse in 474 BC.  In 326 BC the fortress was captured by Romans. In 1441, Alfonso V of Aragon connected the rock to the island with a stone bridge instead of the prior wood bridge, and fortified the walls in order to defend the inhabitants against the raids of pirates."

The Castello from Spiaggia dei Pescatori

Ischia from the Castello

A walkway on the south side of the Castle.

I took a tour of the Castle one evening, just before sunset. There's an elevator to take you to the top, and then you can walk down and explore the various parts of the fortress.

Roaming around the fortress

Here I am, sitting on the ponte (bridge) leading from the Castello to Ischia Ponte

Ischia: Festival, Food and Fireworks

Sunset over Ischia Ponte

Ischia, an island west of Naples, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is also known as L'Isola Verde, or the Green Island, as it is largely mountainous, with the highest peak, Mount Epomeo, reaching nearly 800 meters. Ischia is often overlooked by many travelers, who choose instead to go to the nearby island of Capri, but it's a much better choice for those wanting to spend more than a day on a beautiful island. There's a lot to do and see in Ischia! One of the major attractions in Ischia is the thermal baths that are fueled by Mount Epomeo, a dormant volcano. These baths are most often used by Europeans and Asians, who appreciate their therapeutic benefits. In an upcoming post, I'll share my experiences at one of the thermal bath parks on the island.

One of the first things I did after getting settled in my B&B was to take a bus ride around the entire island. This is possible for a cost of @ 2 euros, and takes about 90 minutes. At Ischia Porto, there are a variety of buses to take you to other parts of the island, and two lines that complete a circular route of the entire island. I wanted to see what the other cities might have to offer, and I quickly realized that it would take much longer than a week to explore all the sights that interested me. 

For lunch that day, I had a "salad from the sea," which turned out to be a real feast, with shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari and several other kinds of fish, mixed in with radicchio, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice.  It was really tasty and cost only 7 euros!
 

Insalata di Mare

On the first night of my stay, there was a festival going on: the last day of an event honoring the patron saint of the island, San Giovan Giuseppe della Croce. The streets were lined with special lights, and there was a procession that started on a traditional fishing boat from Castello Aragonese, where the statue of the saint was carried by sea to Ischia Porto, and then through the streets until it reached the Church of San Antonio, where it resides. It's always a treat to witness events like this, where the whole village comes out to participate, and you get to be part of the celebration.

La passeggiata under the lights

Every street had a different pattern of lights.

After the parade, there was music and food, with stalls lining Piazzale Aragonese, the piazza that leads to the ponte (bridge) crossing over to the Castle, which you'll learn more about in the next post. The scent of roasted nuts and Torrone (nougat candy) filled the air.

Piazzale Aragonese

I knew that fireworks would be part of the festival, and they started going off even before the sunset. Here's a video of a short burst of fireworks set off atop one of the churches, while the church bells were ringing.

However, the real fireworks were not set to start until midnight, and I was worn out by 10:30, so headed back to the hotel. About 12:30 a.m., I heard the REAL fireworks going off: it sounded as if the whole island was exploding! This went on for nearly thirty minutes, and I kept wishing I had stayed up to see them.

Ischia: Mario's Maison Twentyfive

My first view of the streets of Ischia

Make sure you read the 2014 update at the end of this post! This hotel is now overpriced!

From the start of my travels from Ercolano to Ischia, I had good fortune. I've been complaining about my heavy luggage, but on this day, at every difficult moment, there was someone to help me. The owner of the B&B in Ercolano had her son carry my luggage up three flights of stairs in the train station, the escalator was actually working at the train station in Naples, the taxi driver took care of the luggage when he drove me to the harbor for the ferry. Even better, when I called the owner of the B&B in Ischia to tell him of my arrival, he not only met me at the harbor, but provided the taxi that transported us back to the B&B. Hey, I could get used to this kind of treatment!

Maison Twentyfive

Initially, I had hoped to stay in another guesthouse, where I'd have a small apartment with use of a kitchen, and a view of the sea. But I waited too long to book it, and missed out on staying there. And then, I found Maison Twentyfive by chance, via Booking.com, where I have often found hotels in Italy and France with good results. Finding Mario's guesthouse turned out to be more than a stroke of good fortune for me. It came with a story, a host with a big heart, and a feeling of welcome to the island of Ischia.

Raffaela and the owner, Mario

The place is a "dream" because it's something that Mario has worked towards for the past twenty years. Though he dreamed of running his own guesthouse, he realized early on that he needed to first explore the world and gain experience and language skills. Since Ischia has catered to German tourism for many years, he moved to Germany, and worked in a hotel in Munich for seven years. After that, he worked in many other countries, including France, Switzerland, and the United States, as well as working in Milan for several years. He became fluent in German, French and English, and an expert in learning to accommodate the many and varied tastes of the guests under his care. And throughout his career, he kept his dream alive, the dream of running his own guesthouse in his hometown, Ischia Ponte.

La colazione: a typical breakfast spread at the guesthouse

Now that his dream is becoming a reality, Mario continues to provide attentive care to his guests. He is helped in this venture by Raffaela, who takes care of the rooms and hosts breakfast, and his wife, Tiziana, who makes wonderful tortes (cakes) for breakfast. The tortes are often made with fruit fresh from her father's trees, including pears and figs, or with marmellate (jams) made from fresh apricots, oranges and lemons. For chocolate lovers, there are tortes with chocolate fillings. As you can see from the photo above, there is also yogurt and figs, prunes and grapes, picked fresh from the family garden. Kind of makes your mouth water, doesn't it? Lucky me, I was there for an entire week and able to enjoy this delicious fare every day! (It usually kept me full until late afternoon, so I only needed one other meal each day.)

Another great thing about Maison Twentyfive is its location, right off the main street, via Sogliuzzo, midway between Ischia Porto and Ischia Ponte. It takes about 30 minutes to walk to Ischia Porto, and 10 minutes to get to Ischia Ponte's Via Luigi Mazzella, where the passeggiata (evening stroll) takes place. Even better, it's due passi (a short walk) to a free beach (Spiaggia dei Pescatori), where I spent many hours enjoying the sea.

Besides the food, Raffaela and Mario provided good company, giving me suggestions about where to go and how to get there. Before my departure from Ischia, Mario suggested I take the ferry instead of the hydrofoil back to Naples, for half the cost, and even offered to get the ticket for me on his daily walk to the harbor. Since I had to leave at 6:30 a.m., I took advantage of his offer, as well as his willingness to arrange for a  reliable taxi driver to get me to the harbor on time. I enjoyed hearing Mario's tale of how his sogno (dream) had developed over the years, and how he has restructured a family dwelling into a guesthouse.

After years of traveling in Italy (and last year in France), I've had many wonderful experiences at a variety of hotels, B&Bs, hostels and guesthouses. But I've never met an albergatore (hotel manager) quite as exceptional, attentive, open and generous as Mario.

2014 update:
I'm planning a trip to Ischia again this year, and was dismayed to find that the prices at Mario's have nearly doubled! Last year I paid 45 euros ($61) per night for a week long stay. Very reasonable! This year the prices have increased to 81 euros ($110) per night, during the same week in September that I was there last year. Out of my price range, and way overpriced for the quality of the rooms. Yes, the hospitality was exceptional, but the room itself was nothing special, comprised of a bed and a bathroom. So I'm sorry to say that I won't be returning to Mario's B&B. Instead, I've found better options through airbnb: in fact, I booked an entire apartment near the beaches in Ischia Ponte, with a full kitchen, living room, bedroom, washing machine, internet and a terrace with a view, for @ 28 euros ($38) per night. Can't beat that price! I'd advise doing more research before considering staying at Maison Twentyfive.