GOOD MORNING ISCHIA! SUNDAY 23RD MARCH 2014
O Vagnitiello Thermal Park in Casamicciola
GOOD MORNING ISCHIA! SUNDAY 23RD march 2014
Welcome to our Ischia blog, Good Morning Ischia! Here you can see the entry for Sunday 23rd March 2014.
Good Morning Ischia!
I hope you've all had a great week and are having a nice Sunday lie-in. It's a slightly murky day here in Ischia with some dark clouds and drizzle which should be turning to something a bit heavier this afternoon as we're expecting a mild storm which is due to last for a couple of days.
Temperatures today should see a maximum of 18° Celcius (65° fahrenheit) with a minimum of 11°C (52°F) sometime this evening when the storm should be at its worst.
Actually although I'm sure that most people reading this would be unhappy at the prospect of rain, especially those of you who are on holiday here at the moment, it does come as quite a relief to see conditions such as these as it's been three weeks since the last downpour. Anyone who has planted flowers, plants or vegetables in Ischia would also share this relief as it's quite unusual to have such a long dry spell at this time of the year and it's almost the complete opposite of what we had this time last year. As budding gardeners we've been doing daily inspections of our newly planted flowers in the hope of seeing some movement or growth from the Dahlia, Calla and Lupin bulbs that we recently planted but there's been almost nothing so far. Anyway, this mini-drought never quite reached the Jean de Florette-like desperation stage where Gerard Depardieu sinks to his knees and cries to the heavens on seeing yet another potential rain cloud pass by his garden and hopefully we'll have a more balanced outlook over the coming weeks.
So spring is now officially upon us, even if the weather patterns have been a bit weird of late, and we're getting very close to the six month cycle when the island sees the main bulk of its visitors. Many tourist attractions such as thermal parks and gardens will be re-opening for the spring and summer over the next few weeks, in time for the busy Easter period. However, I've been receiving lots of e-mails recently from people asking what there is to do on the island while some of these places are still closed. The answer is there's lots to do so let me highlight some of the best things that you can do at this time of year while some of the main attractions are still closed.
Possibly the most famous and iconic of all Ischia's sights is Castello Aragonese in Ischia Ponte. The historic medieval castle is open all year round and is a great way to spend an hour or two of your holiday here. It costs just €10 per person to visit the castle and there's lots to explore in what was once a living, breathing citadel. From the top of the castle you get some fantastic views down to the town of Ischia Ponte or across the sea to Capri, Procida and the Sorrento peninsula.
Many people ask about the thermal water in Ischia and are understandably keen to try the thermal parks and gardens but as most of them will be closed until around the middle of April, there are some alternative options open to you. The first and most obvious of those is Sorgeto Hot Springs in Panza. Sorgeto is a bay where there are a series of rock-pools where you can sit and bathe in the warm (in some places hot!) thermal water. This is a completely natural phenomenon and therefore free to visit. The only time when Sorgeto is not good to visit is when the sea is rough as the waves from the cold sea come splashing into what are basically natural jacuzzis, and obviously when that happens you get a little bit of a cold shock so it's best to go there when the sea is calm, even if the overhead conditions aren't so great.
Another alternative way to enjoy the thermal water is by visiting one of the spas and at this time of year I can recommend two which are open, in fact they are both open all year round. Sorriso Thermae Resort & Spa in Forio sits close to Citara Beach and has an excellent wellness centre where you can go for a swim in a variety of different pools, or try out some of their treatments such as massages or mud therapy. Over in Ischia Porto there's also Terme Di Ischia which is an indoor centre that offers less in the way of leisure than Sorriso but does have an excellent range of wellness equipment which again includes mud and a variety of massages.
Sant'Angelo is one of the jewels of Ischia and its beauty lasts all year round. The village itself is fairly small but the great thing is there are so many great places around there where you can go for a walk. From the main village square you can take a water taxi over to Maronti Beach or Le Fumarole Beach and from there you can walk back to Sant'Angelo via a cliff-top path with some stunning scenery. In fact there are two main walks which I would recommend, the one to or from Maronti Beach takes about 40 minutes and can be steep in places, while the walk to and from Le Fumarole Beach is slightly gentler and takes about 20 minutes. Both walks are sprinkled with unmissable scenery so no matter which route you take you won't be disappointed.
Apart from everything mentioned above there's just the small matter of the rest of the island to explore! Despite measuring just 10km (6 miles) by 7km (4 miles), Ischia has a diverse landscape. There are well populated areas such as Ischia Porto, Ischia Ponte, Forio, Lacco Ameno and Casamicciola which are characterized by their beaches, ports and main towns, while you will find something completely different in Serrara Fontana and Barano which are less densely populated and dominated by small, winding roads, mountain slopes and some stunning scenery.
So while we're all waiting for the main attractions to open don't despair that there's nothing to do. If having read everything above you're still not sure and would like some more suggestions just drop me a line at info@ischiareview.com and I'll be very happy to help.
Today's photo by the way comes from O Vagnitiello Thermal Park in Casamicciola. The park will be open around Easter time and I've already got my eye on an afternoon sitting in that thermal water pool and gazing out so sea!
Ok, I'll be back with more soon but don't forget we're to help in any way we can with ideas and information about Ischia so don't hesitate to ask if you've got something on your mind.
A presto!
Dion Protani
Sunday 23rd March 2014 - info@ischiareview.com
Today's Saint's day/Name day: San Turibio di Mogrovejo, Fedele, Nora
Today in history: Evel Kneivel clears 35 cars on a motorbike jump but breaks 93 bones in the process! (1972)
Born on this day: American singer Chaka Khan(1953)
Sun-rise (alba): 06:01hrs - Sun-set (tramonto): 18:18hrs
I hope you've all had a great week and are having a nice Sunday lie-in. It's a slightly murky day here in Ischia with some dark clouds and drizzle which should be turning to something a bit heavier this afternoon as we're expecting a mild storm which is due to last for a couple of days.
Temperatures today should see a maximum of 18° Celcius (65° fahrenheit) with a minimum of 11°C (52°F) sometime this evening when the storm should be at its worst.
Actually although I'm sure that most people reading this would be unhappy at the prospect of rain, especially those of you who are on holiday here at the moment, it does come as quite a relief to see conditions such as these as it's been three weeks since the last downpour. Anyone who has planted flowers, plants or vegetables in Ischia would also share this relief as it's quite unusual to have such a long dry spell at this time of the year and it's almost the complete opposite of what we had this time last year. As budding gardeners we've been doing daily inspections of our newly planted flowers in the hope of seeing some movement or growth from the Dahlia, Calla and Lupin bulbs that we recently planted but there's been almost nothing so far. Anyway, this mini-drought never quite reached the Jean de Florette-like desperation stage where Gerard Depardieu sinks to his knees and cries to the heavens on seeing yet another potential rain cloud pass by his garden and hopefully we'll have a more balanced outlook over the coming weeks.
So spring is now officially upon us, even if the weather patterns have been a bit weird of late, and we're getting very close to the six month cycle when the island sees the main bulk of its visitors. Many tourist attractions such as thermal parks and gardens will be re-opening for the spring and summer over the next few weeks, in time for the busy Easter period. However, I've been receiving lots of e-mails recently from people asking what there is to do on the island while some of these places are still closed. The answer is there's lots to do so let me highlight some of the best things that you can do at this time of year while some of the main attractions are still closed.
Possibly the most famous and iconic of all Ischia's sights is Castello Aragonese in Ischia Ponte. The historic medieval castle is open all year round and is a great way to spend an hour or two of your holiday here. It costs just €10 per person to visit the castle and there's lots to explore in what was once a living, breathing citadel. From the top of the castle you get some fantastic views down to the town of Ischia Ponte or across the sea to Capri, Procida and the Sorrento peninsula.
Many people ask about the thermal water in Ischia and are understandably keen to try the thermal parks and gardens but as most of them will be closed until around the middle of April, there are some alternative options open to you. The first and most obvious of those is Sorgeto Hot Springs in Panza. Sorgeto is a bay where there are a series of rock-pools where you can sit and bathe in the warm (in some places hot!) thermal water. This is a completely natural phenomenon and therefore free to visit. The only time when Sorgeto is not good to visit is when the sea is rough as the waves from the cold sea come splashing into what are basically natural jacuzzis, and obviously when that happens you get a little bit of a cold shock so it's best to go there when the sea is calm, even if the overhead conditions aren't so great.
Another alternative way to enjoy the thermal water is by visiting one of the spas and at this time of year I can recommend two which are open, in fact they are both open all year round. Sorriso Thermae Resort & Spa in Forio sits close to Citara Beach and has an excellent wellness centre where you can go for a swim in a variety of different pools, or try out some of their treatments such as massages or mud therapy. Over in Ischia Porto there's also Terme Di Ischia which is an indoor centre that offers less in the way of leisure than Sorriso but does have an excellent range of wellness equipment which again includes mud and a variety of massages.
Sant'Angelo is one of the jewels of Ischia and its beauty lasts all year round. The village itself is fairly small but the great thing is there are so many great places around there where you can go for a walk. From the main village square you can take a water taxi over to Maronti Beach or Le Fumarole Beach and from there you can walk back to Sant'Angelo via a cliff-top path with some stunning scenery. In fact there are two main walks which I would recommend, the one to or from Maronti Beach takes about 40 minutes and can be steep in places, while the walk to and from Le Fumarole Beach is slightly gentler and takes about 20 minutes. Both walks are sprinkled with unmissable scenery so no matter which route you take you won't be disappointed.
Apart from everything mentioned above there's just the small matter of the rest of the island to explore! Despite measuring just 10km (6 miles) by 7km (4 miles), Ischia has a diverse landscape. There are well populated areas such as Ischia Porto, Ischia Ponte, Forio, Lacco Ameno and Casamicciola which are characterized by their beaches, ports and main towns, while you will find something completely different in Serrara Fontana and Barano which are less densely populated and dominated by small, winding roads, mountain slopes and some stunning scenery.
So while we're all waiting for the main attractions to open don't despair that there's nothing to do. If having read everything above you're still not sure and would like some more suggestions just drop me a line at info@ischiareview.com and I'll be very happy to help.
Today's photo by the way comes from O Vagnitiello Thermal Park in Casamicciola. The park will be open around Easter time and I've already got my eye on an afternoon sitting in that thermal water pool and gazing out so sea!
Ok, I'll be back with more soon but don't forget we're to help in any way we can with ideas and information about Ischia so don't hesitate to ask if you've got something on your mind.
A presto!
Dion Protani
Sunday 23rd March 2014 - info@ischiareview.com
Today's Saint's day/Name day: San Turibio di Mogrovejo, Fedele, Nora
Today in history: Evel Kneivel clears 35 cars on a motorbike jump but breaks 93 bones in the process! (1972)
Born on this day: American singer Chaka Khan(1953)
Sun-rise (alba): 06:01hrs - Sun-set (tramonto): 18:18hrs
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