Morning folks! It's been a while since my last update so apologies for that. We've had a lot of enquiries about the current situation on the island and I'm very happy to say that it's very much business as usual, people are going about their daily business be that working or enjoying their holidays. The restaurants are busy and there are lots of people enjoying the beaches, the thermal parks and the sunshine. In terms of travel updates there's really very little to report, the ferries, hydrofoils, buses and taxis are all working normally and the only disruption remains around the Piazza Maio area in Casamicicola. Looking at the weather, there may finally be some rain on Saturday and Sunday but apart from that it's all ship-shape and Ischia fashion. Back with another update soon. Ciao :-)
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Good afternoon everyone, this is my second update on what has been a very unusual day for us all in Ischia, to say the least. As the day has unfolded the picture of what happened last night has become much clearer and much of the worrying mystery taken out of the situation. Just to recap, last night around 9pm there was an earthquake in the area of upper Casamicciola, recorded between 3.6 and 4 in terms of magnitude. Although very brief, the earthquake caused severe damage to the Piazza Maio area with several buildings collapsing. Two people sadly died, one lady after being hit by falling masonry from a church and another after being buried in rubble under her own home. Between 20 and 40 people were also recorded as suffering injuries resulting from the damage but most of those injuries were thankfully of a minor nature. At times there have been reports of people being trapped in rubble from the half or dozen or so buildings that collapsed, amongst these, three brothers who have now all been rescued.
In what has been an extraordinary day full of worry, stress and anguish, the one thing that has really caught our attention is the support that so many of you have shown for this beautiful island. Many of you that have either been here already or have a trip planned in the near future have overwhelmed us with your sympathy, kindness and positive comments for which we can't express our gratitude strongly enough. Many of you have asked if it's still safe to travel to Ischia or if there is likely to be any travel disruption. Over the next couple of days it's likely that queues at the ports might be a bit longer than usual but to all intents and purposes the island is very much open for business and there's a determined willingness of the people to simply get on with things. We're not going to turn a blind eye to the sadness created by the lost lives and lost homes but if you walk around the island now, aside from the areas around the ports you'll find most people are going about their business as they normally would, working, relaxing on the beach or eating in the restaurants. Throughout the day we've carried out lots of airport transfers, boat rentals and other activities without a hitch and we're already a considerable way along the road to recovery. Once again I'd like to thank everybody for their overwhelming display of support for ourselves at Ischia Review and the island as a whole, something that's touched us all greatly. Please continue to write in to us with your questions about travel and any other concerns you may have. As always we'll give you our honest, friendly advice so that you can continue to enjoy this island paradise along with us. Today's photo by the way was taken at Citara Beach in Forio around 3pm. As you can see, despite the little test we've had we're back on our feet again and basking in the glorious summer sunshine. Back with more soon, Dion Protani :-) 4pm Tuesday 22nd August 2017 Afternoon everyone but better to say "Buon Ferragosto a tutti!". "What is Ferragosto?" I hear you say - well to all intents and purposes it's a national holiday in Italy and a day when the country comes to a grinding halt and makes its collective way to the beaches. The holiday dates back to Roman times and was originally named after Emperor Augustus, his name coupled with the word "Feriae" which is Latin for festival/holiday bringing us to the shortened form of Ferragosto. In religious terms it's also the Assumption of Mary but these days you'll find the largest congregations gathering at the beach under an umbrella. It's a perfect day for sun-worship as well, clouds still nothing but a distant memory and a current temperature of 30°C (86°F). Just in case there was any lingering doubt, the weather is set fair for the next seven days with similar temperatures to today. I'll be back with another update soon so all the best until then and enjoy the sunshine! Ciao :-) Dion ([email protected])
Morning folks! It's the quiet part of the day before the office opens and just enough time for a little update. We're now well into August and the island takes on a very different persona this month, its busiest of the year by far. Roads, shops, restaurants and beaches are all that bit fuller as this is the month when most Italians are able to take their holidays and a lot of them choose to come here. In fact this is something that should be highlighted, whereas most resorts in Italy have a largely international flavour, Ischia is very much Italian and offers a genuine glimpse into the nation's culture. Right now is the time for most people to find somewhere cool by the water as the country is in the midst of a heatwave and Ischia's beaches and hotels offer an abundance of opportunities for that. There are parts of the country where temperatures are 40°C (104°F) right now but we seem to have escaped that for the moment with the mercury expected to reach around 32°C (90°f) at its hottest this afternoon. As has been the case for around the last 4 months now, the forecast for the rest of the week is for some sunny periods mixed in with sunshine and the occasional outbreak of blue skies and a big dollop of bright yellow sun! That's all from me for the moment, I'll be back with another update soon. Ciao :-) Dion ([email protected])
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AuthorI'm Dion Protani, the creator of Ischia Review. Despite my Italian-sounding name I'm from Surrey in England and the blog is designed to give readers an insight into the current weather situation and the latest goings-on in and around Ischia. Archives
May 2020
CategoriesFor the daily blog archives click here and for the Ischia on Sunday archives click here.
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