Island of Ischia

Women, men, old people and children, the Greek colonists from Eubea who in the 8th century BC founded Pithecusa Artists and merchants, winemakers and breeders, refined craftsmen who brought with them the art of ceramics processing and a precious load of knowledge: among all, alphabetic writing. The symbol of that remote era is the extraordinary archaeological find from the necropolis of Pithecusae, Nestor’s Cup. The oldest Greek-language document in the world testifies to the dawn of European civilization. The surprise of the Eubei colonists was great when they discovered that the island had boiling springs (today Ischia is the largest spa in Europe) that gushed underwater, in caves that descended from the top of the volcano mountain that they had named Epomeo .

The geological history of the island and its physiognomy are reminiscent of extremely violent events that have led to a very varied profile: in just a few kilometers from sea level one passes to the almost 800 meters of Mount Epomeo. In spring the island is colored with flowers and green Mediterranean plants. Thus the broom, the myrtle, the heather, the lentisk and the laurel, but also the oaks, centuries-old pines, the ash trees, and the hawthorns, are ready to receive visits from guests such as the gray heron, swallows, quails, robins and other migratory birds that cross the terraces bounded by walls that welcome vineyards, orchards, citrus groves and well-kept vegetable gardens.

A kaleidoscope of colors covers the undergrowth with wild orchids, violets and anemones that are found on the Cretaio, the Maddalena woods and the Fondo d’Oglio, an oasis for naturalists. Rosemary, wild oregano, lavender, thyme and sage perfume the Ischia air from the coasts of Campagnano and Piano Liguori to Punta Imperatore and Punta Zaro, flying over the spectacular vitality of Falanga, an organic eden where mosses and lichens take root , the papyrus of the fumaroles and the ferns some of which are very rare such as the “Woodwardia radicans” or even unique species that do not exist in any other part of the world such as the Limonim Inarimense Guss, a typical species of sea rocks and cliffs.

The coasts, 37 km long, with inlets with blue-green waters, sheer stretches and beaches, are corners of paradise where sea water mixes with the warm water of mineral springs that gush forth a few steps from the shoreline.
Who plunges into the “Kingdom of Neptune” discovers a true “Eden of the hydrospace” formed by immersed cliffs and boundless shoals, Posidonia oceanica meadows and rocky sites populated by rare organisms and endemic species.

This is Ischia, an extraordinary laboratory of landscape inventions and natural resources!