"Ischia" Naples Travelogue by vivimero

Ischia

17-24 settembre 2000

I have never been in Ischia before and was a surprise for me discover how wonderful this island is. Thermal site since Roman times, close to Capri and Procida. We left from Milan sunday morning at 6 am and arrived quite soon, the longest part was to wait for the ferry! You can take the ferry in Pozzuoli, as if you don't know Naples is easier to arrive there with the car. Pozzuoli is the last exit of the "Tangenziale" of Naples. We chose CASAMICCIOLA TERME for our stay, and it's 4 km from ISCHIA PORTO- main town.Ischia (town) is divided between Ponte where the old castle is, and Porto, centre for shopping, with a nice garden full of plants. The vegetation in the island was simply amazing as I saw some plants and flowers never seen in all my life and I was sure that Italy has almost the same kind of flower all over. Casamicciola was the thermal site where IBSEN used to have a house (an I saw it..it's a dream place).

Our hotel was SUISSE THERMAL VILLAGE with panoramic rooms, some even with a small patio and garden, 6 swimming-pools for thermals and 3 pools inside, massages ect…the only bad part was that the service in the restaurant was not too perfect and quick and sometime the kindness of the waiters was debatable. The scenery was incredible, just in front of MOUNT EPOMEO.The nice option was having the thermals inside the hotel so we didn't had to take the bus or the car to go to other thermal places like TERME CASTIGLIONE ( tel: 081-982551 fax 081-982747). Our friends last year were in the same chain but at ISCHIA PORTO at a better and more elegant place, called HOTEL ISCHIA & LIDO, right on the beach. But wandering one night on the street close to our hotel I have seen the Ibsen' house and some great villas, then a wonderful terrace overlooking the bay and I noticed that was a small hotel, what we call here PENSIONE ( a family run business) CORALBA and I went inside to ask. My first impression was to give trust to the young man who recentely bought it, it doesn't have any thermal pool inside and so if you need treatments you should go out, but the impression and $$$$$$ was good and I still think that I will go there next summer for my thermals. For me….advice at *****

Something not to lose while there is the tour by boat of the Island. We booked with Domenico, an handsome 50 yrs old man that also acted in "The talented Mr.Ripley" as he borrowed the boats to the cast.The boat was small but great to enter in the bays.We saw the famous beaches of Maronti, and saw all the wonderful and charming villas of FORIO included the nicest, the one that was of Luchino Visconti, a castle-shaped villa with stairs that leads right on the beach.Dreamsful was also the villa that was built by Onassis all in the rocks. Large windows overlooking the sea.

We visited the island by boat and this was incredible because if Ischia seemed nice by land, is breathless by the sea.There are bays where you can stop if you have a boat, caves: one dedicated to the lovers because after the war inside there were fund boats with lovers hiding from the others, one is dedicated to the DRAGON because is dark and seems like the one where the monster was used to hide in the books, one is green like an emerald and you had to pay when entering there till some years ago. We sailed close to the Madonna del Suffragio church where the wives of the fishermen were used to go to pray when the storms made the sea an enemy. We stopped for lunch in the Baia di San Pancrazio , just visitable by the sea. The restaurant had a family atmosphere, home made cousine but really good and not expensive at all.

On the 18th my mom and dad and I took the bus to make a tour of the island, after a cafe' at the wonderful caffè CALISE in Casamicciola. We arrived to S.Angelo instead, the most wonderful village in all Ischia. There is a island with a bridge and elegant shops. Nice fisherman houses that are now rented to tourists.The trip with local busses was terrible and I felt sick with my stomach because the journey up & down hills was terrible.

Now a part of my diary!

We took less than I expected to arrive there, 6 hours and we already were in Pozzuoli, the longer was to wait the ferry as there was no cafè for a sandwich but just restaurants and to be honest, I don't need food at all with my weight.Sandwiches on the ferry were packed and sounded so old to me like the famous "Bombolona" of the book "Bar Sport" of Stefano Benni. You know, where in cafe' there is always the same selection of pastries since last century…(In some country cafe' in Italy might happens)

We asked for directions to Pozzuoli to the police and they were not able to explain to us:the ROUTE POLICE (Polizia Stradale) that is not able to explain directions…this is too much.On the freeway around Naples, can be strange but believe me or not, they drive slow!

And now in Italian ..a bit….

Le disavventure di Enrica

Come primo giorno di viaggio non è stato bellissimo, fermi ad un Autogrill per uno snack, I coniugi Mottura non hanno piu' potuto aprire la macchina perche' la chiave si è smemorizzata. (Ma la Mercedes non ha pensato a tutto? ) Morale, hanno chiamato il numero verde per avere delucidazioni in merito. Non sembrava un problema grave, ma il tecnico Mercedes della zona di Roma ha detto subito che il problema forse non poteva essere risolto facilemente. Il nostro eroe della casa teutonica subito avvisa i coniugi comaschi che non sa se, uscendo, riesce a risolvere la situazione.

Dopo un paio d'orette il giovanotto arriva e, senza grandi e impegnativi tentativi schiacchia il tastino per ri-memorizzare la chiave e tutto si sistema- Io penso che la cosa poteva essere risolta anche per telefono dato che spiegare come schiacciare un tastino non mi sembra a prova di master alla Bocconi. Comunque, in barba al consumatore, il nostro aitante giovane chiede ben 400.000 lire all'Antonio. Spero che si sia lamentato come si deve con la casa madre. Del resto, anche la BMW non è da meno. Nuova nuova di tagliando alla mia auto si è rotta la frizione e la BMW se ne è lavata le mani…Ma le sventure dell'Enrica non finiscono qui…andare ad Ischia nel 2000 si è rivelato davvero difficile!

Il 17 settembre i casellanti dell'autostrada erano in sciopero, ma su 12 casse Antonio finisce proprio in quella dove l'omino (krumiro) lavorava e cosi' hanno dovuto pagare. L'unico…voglio dire…non è mica da poco una giornata cosi' nata male! Ma…non è andata meglio al nostro caro Lorenzo: dopo mesi in cui io continuavo a suggerire di usare il bancomat per pagare il pedaggio autostradale, proprio il giorno in cui c'era lo sciopero e quindi l'unico modo per non pagare era quello di pagare in contanti era …usare il casellante, mio padre decide, per la prima volta, di pagare con il bancomat. Cosi' hanno pagato il pedaggio.

Sempre per sottolineare il parallelismo tra mio padre e l'Antonio, durante il rifornimento Antonio perde 50.000, oppure non gli hanno dato il resto. Mio padre ha fatto 50.000 ma la stanghetta della benzina non ha avuto nessun movimento.

Arrivati finalmente in quel di Pozzuoli sembrava che per la loro Mercedes non ci fosse posto, e rischiavano di rimanere li' in albergo per la notte. A Ischia Porto un omino gli si è avvicinato per dare un consiglio e poi pretendeva dall'Antonio la mancia. E non lo mollava più….