good morning ischia! saturday 23rd november 2013
Castiglione Thermal Park in Casamicciola
GOOD MORNING ISCHIA! SATURDAY 23RD NOVEMBER 2013
Welcome to our Ischia blog, Good Morning Ischia! Here you can see the entry for Saturday 23rd November 2013.
Good morning Ischia!
It's been a dramatic start to the weekend in terms of the weather conditions with heavy rain and wind accompanied by the sound of bellowing thunder. The worst of the storm looks to be out at sea but we're still feeling the effects here. Precisely at this moment conditions have calmed and the rain has stopped but we should be in for a resumption this afternoon. Temperatures today are down on yesterday with a lowly maximum of 14° celcius (58° fahrenheit) with a minimum of around 12°C (54°F).
With all of this in mind I thought it would be nice to show a bright and colourful photo from the middle of summer. Undoubtedly one of the prettiest and most colourful places on the island has to be Castiglione Thermal Park. Its main function is being a place where you can go and enjoy the thermal water but they do such a marvellous job of looking after the many gardens that it's difficult not to be impressed.
Such is the array of beautiful plants and flowers that you could almost go there just to walk around the gardens (although that would be a bit silly when there are all of those swimming pools to enjoy at the same time!). Joking aside, you can enter the park for free if you are visiting one of their on-site restaurants, namely "U' Guarracino". If you tell them at the door that's where you're going they'll let you pass without paying, assuming that is that you're not dressed solely in a bikini, carrying a lilo and wearing a swimming cap which might just give the game away!
To reach U Guarracino you take the funicular railway down to the main part of the park complex and then make your way down to the waterside restaurant, passing the various swimming pools along the way. You can't help but notice the wonderful flowers that surround you on this little journey, shades of pink, blue and purple dominating the scene. The photo above shows some bright purple/pink bougainvillea lining the entrance to one of the ten pools, but you'll also be struck by the size, health and colour of the hydrangeas. These magnificent flowers grow freely across Ischia but I'm yet to find any better examples than those on display at Castiglione. The magnificence of the Castiglione hydrangeas only served to put into stark contrast my own personal attempts at planting the same plant which duly died within a few weeks! Any gardeners out there with some tips on how to avoid that would be greatly appreciated as they really would add to our already wonderful little garden.
Ok, I finish today's blog just as a great flash of lightning is followed moments later by a loud crack of thunder, looking like it's going to be one of those days...
Enjoy your weekend and if you're planning a trip to Ischia why not drop us a line and say "hi" or ask us some questions about this island paradise (albeit temporarily in the midst of an electrical storm!).
A domani.
Dion Protani - Saturday 23rd November 2013 - [email protected]
Today's Saint's day/Name day: San Clemente papa (Father St. Clement), Felicia, Lucrezia
Today in history: Pink Floyd's "The Wall" released and sells 6 million copies in two weeks (1979)
Sun-rise (alba): 06:59hrs - Sun-set (tramonto): 16:40hrs
It's been a dramatic start to the weekend in terms of the weather conditions with heavy rain and wind accompanied by the sound of bellowing thunder. The worst of the storm looks to be out at sea but we're still feeling the effects here. Precisely at this moment conditions have calmed and the rain has stopped but we should be in for a resumption this afternoon. Temperatures today are down on yesterday with a lowly maximum of 14° celcius (58° fahrenheit) with a minimum of around 12°C (54°F).
With all of this in mind I thought it would be nice to show a bright and colourful photo from the middle of summer. Undoubtedly one of the prettiest and most colourful places on the island has to be Castiglione Thermal Park. Its main function is being a place where you can go and enjoy the thermal water but they do such a marvellous job of looking after the many gardens that it's difficult not to be impressed.
Such is the array of beautiful plants and flowers that you could almost go there just to walk around the gardens (although that would be a bit silly when there are all of those swimming pools to enjoy at the same time!). Joking aside, you can enter the park for free if you are visiting one of their on-site restaurants, namely "U' Guarracino". If you tell them at the door that's where you're going they'll let you pass without paying, assuming that is that you're not dressed solely in a bikini, carrying a lilo and wearing a swimming cap which might just give the game away!
To reach U Guarracino you take the funicular railway down to the main part of the park complex and then make your way down to the waterside restaurant, passing the various swimming pools along the way. You can't help but notice the wonderful flowers that surround you on this little journey, shades of pink, blue and purple dominating the scene. The photo above shows some bright purple/pink bougainvillea lining the entrance to one of the ten pools, but you'll also be struck by the size, health and colour of the hydrangeas. These magnificent flowers grow freely across Ischia but I'm yet to find any better examples than those on display at Castiglione. The magnificence of the Castiglione hydrangeas only served to put into stark contrast my own personal attempts at planting the same plant which duly died within a few weeks! Any gardeners out there with some tips on how to avoid that would be greatly appreciated as they really would add to our already wonderful little garden.
Ok, I finish today's blog just as a great flash of lightning is followed moments later by a loud crack of thunder, looking like it's going to be one of those days...
Enjoy your weekend and if you're planning a trip to Ischia why not drop us a line and say "hi" or ask us some questions about this island paradise (albeit temporarily in the midst of an electrical storm!).
A domani.
Dion Protani - Saturday 23rd November 2013 - [email protected]
Today's Saint's day/Name day: San Clemente papa (Father St. Clement), Felicia, Lucrezia
Today in history: Pink Floyd's "The Wall" released and sells 6 million copies in two weeks (1979)
Sun-rise (alba): 06:59hrs - Sun-set (tramonto): 16:40hrs
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