I read recently that Ischia is a place to get lost in, not to be seen. If Capri is for the selfie era, Ischia is the Italian island for the mindful and wellness ages; a place to immerse oneself in nature and sheds skins. This perfectly describes our summer stay on the wild and green isle of Ischia, where we went to escape the stifling streets of Rome, which was recording its hottest days on record and reached by ferry from a bubbling Naples.
We first disappeared over a cliff edge, descending down hundreds of steps to reach Hotel de Club Scarnella, a remote hotel carved into mountainside, where the sea spills over the rocks to fill the outdoor pools and where we basked in the sun like seals, in what felt like the edge of the world. This is a place to unwind and disconnect. It felt like we were cut off from the world, when the daily tourists disappeared for the day and we made our way up to the restaurant’s terrace for golden hour, but never made it further back up the steps and over the hill again until we checked out. We played backgammon, drank the famous Ischian wine and halfheartedly did yoga staring out to sea. The need to make decisions were removed - not even what to eat as there is no menu. The family owners wheel around a delicious trolley of fresh pastas and freshly cooked fish to choose from each evening. Meat, such as rabbit, is served rarely as they only cook local produce and what can be found on the island. The rooms are simple and are lifted by being able to fall asleep to the sound of waves rolling in at night. With no air-con a blistering heatwave, the sea air drifting through is felt and appreciated even more keenly.
With buses and taxis crisscrossing the island, I would not recommend hiring a car as it may end up as battered and scraped as ours as we tried to navigate the narrow roads and hairpin turns. Ischia is famous for its thermal pools, mud treatments and volcanic vineyards, where the brave workers harvest grapes by hand from ladders on precipitously steep slopes. We visited the stylish Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa, which opened in 2019 and put Ischia back on the map, with its lofty position perched above a private bay, peachy umbrellas and saltwater infinity pool.
We moved onto stay in an apartment directly opposite the Giardini La Mortella. After a spontaneous BBQ cooked for us by our very hospitable Italian hosts, we were up early to tour this tropical garden, designed by Susana Walton, wife of English composer William Walton in the 1950s. It’s a verdant, green, lush garden laid out over a valley and a hill and linked by a network of paths so that you meander through different garden scenes full of lily pools, grottos, and exotic flowers. There is an open-air amphitheatre with views over the bay, which must make it the most spectacular outdoor venue for concerts and shows over the summer.
Ischia was a welcome break in the middle of a trip bookended by the more crowded hotspots of Rome and he Amalfi Coast. We barely touched the surface as it was so relaxing, we we didn’t feel the need to fill the hours with activities, but i would like to go back to hike, to slather myself in mud and visit more of the talented artisans that make this island home.
