Afternoon everyone. It's a beautiful Sunday as we enter a new month. July and August are the two busiest months of the year in Ischia and it's no coincidence that they're also the hottest two months. During July there's still a very international feel to the island with visitors coming from all over the world whereas August tends to be much more Italian-dominated. So we've got a busy month ahead and plenty to look forward to. Yesterday the annual Ischia Film Festival started in Ischia Ponte and that's a great event. You can go and watch some really interesting films in the unique environment of Castello Aragonese where little areas are sectioned off for each film. The festival ends next weekend on Saturday 7th July but incredibly enough, you only have to wait another 8 days before another international film festival rolls into town. That's the Ischia Global Film & Music Fest which you could describe as being the mainstream equivalent to the quirkier films that are on show at the castle. Ischia Global tends to bring Hollywood big hitters with it along with their entourages and paparazzi in tow. If you happen to be on the island between the 15th and 22nd July keep your eyes peeled and cameras at the ready as you never know who might walk past while you're having your morning cappuccino. Then last and in no way least is perhaps the biggest event of the year on the island, the Festa di Sant'Anna which takes place on Thursday 26th July. I'll provide a bit more detail on that as we get closer to the time. In terms of the weather it does feel a bit hotter already. I've got the official Ischia Review fan blowing at this very moment as it would be too stifling without it. Temperatures for the next week should hover between a high of 27°C (81°F) and a low of 21°C (70°F) making for some lovely balmy evenings, perfect for long, sultry evenings out and of course for watching the World Cup! Today's photo just really couldn't be any more iconic and is very similar to our logo - two of Ischia's favourite images together at the same time, the wonderful Castello Aragonese with one of the fun Micro-Taxis/Tuk-Tuks in front of it. I'll finish today's blog with a little plug and link to the new Italy Review Instagram page. Italy Review is a new project I'm building myself along the same lines as Ischia Review. It's still in its infancy but very exciting with a lot more to come. I'll be back with more soon anyway. Ciao :-)
Dion Protani - [email protected]
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A belated Buona Domenica everyone. It's been a sleepy Sunday in Ischia where relaxation reigns and we're all bobbing along rather nicely. The weather continues to play its part and a cursory glance at the forecasts shows things are looking very positive for the next week or so with temperatures ranging from 20°C (68°F) to 26°C (79°F). Those temperatures will gradually climb as we reach the epicentre of the summer and therefore visitors to the island look to keep water in close proximity. Of course the main destination for most people is the beach and there are dozens of those to choose from on the island, but there are also other options like the thermal parks that take advantage of Ischia's thermal water. The most prominent of those thermal parks are Negombo in Lacco Ameno and Poseidon in Forio to name just two. If you're planning on spending at least a couple of days here then a trip to one of those parks is a great way to spend a day and something enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. It's also really easy to get out on the water to explore the island by boat, whether driving by yourselves or having a skipper do the work for you. If you're planning a trip to Ischia soon and you'd like some further ideas for things to see and do just drop me a line and I'll be happy to help. For now I'll leave you with today's photo of Convent Beach (sounds so much better in Italian - Spiaggia del Convento) in Casamicciola and I'll be back with another update here soon. Ciao :-)
Evening all. Sometimes you really feel like you're having a long day and if you're feeling like that today there's a very good reason for it. This is in fact the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, the official first day of summer and International Yoga Day all rolled into one! Tonight the sun will be setting at 20:38 precisely(ish) and what better place to witness it than the beautiful Chiesa del Soccorso in Forio and the subject of today's photo. While enjoying the latest sunset of the year you can also take part in a free, open-air yoga session just outside the church. Things will be getting underway there at 7:30pm so if you fancy joining in just take a towel or a mat, find yourself a nice spot and follow the moves of the instructors. If you do happen to find yourself in Forio tonight then you may as well stick around a bit later as Thursday night is also the "Borgo in Festa" night in Forio when there's a weekly music festival that takes place in little pockets around the town. I think I'll pop down myself to soak up some of the atmosphere and hopefully get some photos of the sunset Yoga session. On to matters meteorological, we're getting to that stage of the year when there's very little to report as it's just boring old hot and sunny. I'll try to bring you some news of a light breeze or sudden rain shower over the next few days but I make no promises on that. Temperatures from now through to the weekend should range between a maximum of 26°C (79°F) and a minimum of 20°C (68°F) in the early hours. Ok I'd better get my skates on if I'm going to be in time for that sunset so I'll be back with more soon. Ciao :-)
Buona sera everyone. It's a fairly muggy, humid afternoon here as we start the new week. It's still officially spring until 21st June but as you would expect, things are gradually warming up here. The top temperature today was 24°C (75°F) but we're expecting a bit of a jump tomorrow with 28°C (82°F) forecast which would make it the hottest day of the year so far. Today's photo comes from the main square in Forio where the Chiesa di San Gaetano takes centre stage. This is very much one of the iconic images of the town along with the beautiful Chiesa del Soccorso which is just a 5 minute walk away. Forio is just about turning back to normal now after the festivities for the Festa di San Vito last week with the market stalls and illuminations being packed away until next year. Being EnglishI'm going to sign off here as our beloved, ever-failing-gloriously football team is about to take to the field and well, it would be rude not to go and watch it wouldn't it? Back with more soon. Ciao :-)
Good evening everyone. The sun is slowly making its way down to the horizon at the end of what has been a beautiful day on the island. Right now at 19:20 the temperature is 23°C (73°F) and we're still more than an hour away from one of those spectacular Forio sunsets. To be precise, the sunset tonight will take place at 20:36, just two minutes short of the latest it gets with the longest day of the year arriving in just under a week (21st June). Now if you've been observant over the last few days you may have noticed a little tournament known as the World Cup taking place. If you're a football fan you'll be pleased to hear that all of the matches are being screened live on terrestrial TV here so you won't need to miss any of the action if you're coming here on holiday over the next month or so however I do accept this may come as bad news if you're not a fan and were hoping to get away from it. If that's the case then you can content yourself with the dozens of beautiful beaches, hot weather, thermal water parks, mountain walking routes and top-notch Mediterranean cuisine that Ischia has to offer. Just one such beach is the one in Lacco Ameno which is the subject of today's photo. Although the smallest town on the island it's packed with great restaurants, beaches and the famous Negombo Thermal Gardens which I can thoroughly recommend for a day out. I'll be back with another update soon so until then, ciao :-)
Afternoon folks. It's been a bit of a topsy-turvy Tuesday so far on the weather front. This morning the conditions were faultless - no wind, no clouds and no waves but since then we've seen a few cloudy spells and even an unexpected shower that lasted about a minute. Looking into my crystal ball (ok, Google then) the situation for the next few days is a little bit unclear - tomorrow looks like it'll be a repeat of today with a mixture of sunny and cloudy spells while Thursday is looking a bit mean and moody. Today's photo comes from Ischia Porto, the place where most people start their Ischian Odyssey - actually there are people that say some of Homer's book was set in Ischia but there's a lot of conjecture about this and very little in the way of evidence so I guess we'll never know for sure. On the subject of literature, one thing that is certain is Ischia's link with the Elena Ferrante "Neapolitan Novels" a series of books starting with "My Brilliant Friend" where the main character growing up in Naples then spends time in Ischia and returns again in later novels. There's also a TV dramatisation of these books that saw filming on the island take place earlier this year. As soon as there are any trailers for that I'll post them on our Facebook page. Anyway, with the potentially changeable weather for the next few days remember to keep an eye on our Ferries and Hydrofoils page for the latest weather snippets and apart from that I'll be back with more soon. Ciao :-)
Welcome back everyone. We're mid-way through the afternoon lull on the island, that sleepy period between 1:30 and 4:30 just after lunch and just before the shops open again for the evening session. Touching on a point I made yesterday, one of the best things about living in Ischia are the greetings people give to each other which perhaps we don't have so much of in places like the UK. The phrase "Buon Appetito" is of course very well known and widely used at home but still not to the level it's used here. For example, strolling down to my local grocery about 1 o'clock you'll hear people saying "Buon Appetito" to each other even though they're not yet sitting down to eat. They say this because they know you will be eating at 1:30pm because anything else would be frankly rather strange behaviour! So even if you're on the phone to someone around that time of day and you haven't even broached the subject of lunch, it's perfectly normal to say "Buon Appetito" because of course, you're definitely about to stop and have lunch. A subtle little cultural difference but one that's always made me chuckle. On a practical note, it's worth mentioning that most shops will close on the island for the lunch period so if you've got shopping to do or generally need something done it's best to do so outside of these hours. On the other hand, it's a good time to go out if you need to drive somewhere as the roads are largely deserted. Back to matters meteorological, it's a fine day here, hot sun, flat sea and soft sand in abundance. Today's photo by the way comes from that gorgeous corner of the island, the village of Ischia Ponte where these fishermen are repairing their nets and generally doing fisherman stuff. Back with more soon. Ciao :-)
Buona domenica a tutti/Happy Sunday to you all! The Italians use this type of phrase a lot more than we do. You can say things like "Buon Lavoro" (good work/have a good day's work), Buona Cena (good dinner/have a good dinner) and pretty much Buon, Buono or Buona followed by any activity you might be about to undertake. As far as I know we only have Happy Friday and Happy Thursday (which I invented just two days ago) so I think we need to work on this a bit. Anyway...it is Sunday and a glorious one at that, not a cloud in sight, a much calmer sea and one very relaxed island. Weather-wise things should be pretty steady for the next few days. The wind has caused a few rough sea issues over the last week or so but hopefully we'll have fewer of those for the foreseeable future. Today's top temperature should be half a smidgen under 25°C (77°F) and no lower than 20°C (68°F) tonight. Today's photo comes from the beautiful harbour of Forio. This is the busiest part of the island's second biggest town. By day it's a travel-hub with hydrofoils to and from Naples as well as the starting point for various boat trips to nearby destinations. Then by night it takes on a new persona with the young and trendy crowding around the harbour-side bars. This coming week is also a very important one for Forio as it's the Festa di San Vito, a week-long celebration of the town's patron saint with various activities planned including masses, religious processions, musical evenings and a big firework display to top it all off. I'll do my best to keep you all updated on those events via our Facebook page so keep an eye out for those updates as well as the regular weather snippets on our ferries and hydrofoils page. Back with more soon. Ciao :-)
Happy Thursday everyone! Ok I know that's not a thing but it should be, especially when Thursdays are as good as this. The sea today is as flat as a very flat thing sitting on top of another flat thing and surrounded by flatness (what did I say about needing to work on my analogies?), while overhead it's one of those skies that doesn't have any clouds but somehow still falls short of being the bluest of blue. As expected things are getting busier and hotting up in every sense. Today we should see temperatures around 27°C (81°F) and we look set fair for an extended spell of clemency. For today's photo I've chosen this shot of Panza which neatly shows the current palate of spring colours doing the rounds on the island. For any of you already here you may want to check-out the Borgo in Festa which takes place every Thursday night in Forio. You'll find live music in the town centre and this is an event that follows on from the success of the initiative that started last year in Ischia Ponte on Friday nights. Anyway, that's all from me today, keep your messages coming in and I'll be back with more soon. Ciao :-)
Afternoon everyone. It's bright and very breezy on the island today, particularly here in Forio on the west coast. That means it's not a day for messing about on the water (unless you're into kite-surfing in which case it very much is!) but there are plenty of other things to see and do in Ischia besides that. I've just taken a walk down to Forio town centre and back, something I haven't done for a while and should do more of. When you live somewhere for a while there's a tendency to feel blasé about it but it's almost possible when that place is Forio and especially so when the sun is shining like it is today. On the subject of the weather, it's going to be sunshine all the way for the rest of this evening with more of the same expected tomorrow. I'll be keeping an eye on that wind and will continue to post regular weather snippets on our ferries and hydrofoils page. Today's top temperature will be around 23°C (73°F) and with another balmy evening in prospect that summer breeze will be just the chunk of pineapple to top-off the cocktail (I must work harder on my analogies). Today's photo was taken just an hour or so ago. It's from Cava dell'Isola Beach which is one that many people miss due to its slightly hidden location off the coast road between Citara and the town centre. The beach is all free and there are also some nice restaurants and snack bars down there so definitely worth a visit. I'll be back with more soon so for now - Ciao :-)
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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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