Ischia

A Visit to Ischia, Land of Radioactive Baths

by Paul Franson

Less famed than Capri across the Bay of Naples, craggy Ischia is best known for its radioactive thermal baths, reputed to help ailments such as arthritis. Whether true or not - and it takes a local doctorís prescription to find out - the volcanoes that created the island and its hot springs also made a delightfully picturesque and mountainous island 30 miles long.

Ischia's habitation is along the coast with the center of the island dominated by the now-dormant volcanoes that blessed the island with ideal soil for wine grapes and lemon trees.

Its main port is Ischia Porto, a classic landlocked Mediterranean fishing port that was a pond until the island's economy seemed more important than the pond's ecology. Fishing boats and yachts fill the port, while trattorias, cafes and tourist stores line its quays.

Like most of Italy, Ischia is a great place to walk. Only a short distance from the port is Ischia Ponte, a small fishing village dominated by a castle perched on a massive offshore rock connected by a short causeway.

The castle, a leftover from Norman and Aragonese occupations, shouldn't be missed. Fortunately, an elevator ascends the rocky islet, letting visitors explore its many buildings and ruins without fear of heart attack. The dramatic view from the cafe at the top encompasses Capri, Procida, Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi Peninsula, and Mt. Vesuvius, now sleeping peacefully above Pompeii.

Ischia boasts expensive resorts with beautiful grounds, but I just wandered into the pleasant Oriente Hotel downtown without a reservation and paid less than $40 per night for a good room with bath. It even had a telephone and cable TV, where along with dubbed Hollywood fare, I discovered an unexpected local strip show late one night!

Most hotel guests, like many visitors to Ischia, were Germans in tour groups. They ate at the hotel, but having earlier eaten German tour food, I went elsewhere.

Italians usually eat a breakfast roll and cappuccino, which costs $1.50 to $2.00 standing up, 30 percent more if you sit at a table. In the midst of citrus trees, Italians donít drink much orange juice. Fresh juice costs $2, more than a beer! Hotels often slip a $6 charge into your bill unless you specifically decline breakfast.

In many bars and pastry shops, you pay first, then get your food, difficult if you don't speak Italian but clerks outside big cities and train stations tolerate tourist idiosyncrasies.

If you spend time in Italy, you'll be tempted by their delicious snacks, such as mini-pizzas (pizzatte), tasty sandwiches (panini), arancini (ìlittle oranges,î actually golden deep-fried balls of risotto), pastries or the superb ice creams (gelati). Trying to save calories, I mostly resisted, but still would have gained weight if I hadnít walked so much on the trip.

I ate lunch at a beach trattoria near the Aragonese castle, where I had a ripe tomato appetizer and frittura mista, tiny fried seafood, with a carafe of delicate island wine for $15 - for far too much food.

My most expensive dinner on Ischia cost $30 at a fancy restaurant on the port. It was filled with lively Italians in elegant clothes, one couple seemingly a businessman with his mistress, while a rotund gentleman at the next table made and received calls on his portable phone between his endless courses.

I had a mussel soup followed by shellfish risotto, both unexpectedly subtle but impeccably fresh. Italian law hasn't banned smoking in restaurants, but it requires menu warnings of frozen food!

Getting to Ischia

Most flights to Southern Italy arrive in Rome. A train from the airport connects at Rome's Termini train station to the 2-hour ride to Naples, demarcation point for boats to Ischia. But watch your bags in Italian railway stations!

Some trains to Naples continue past the Central Station (called Piazza Garibaldi downstairs) to Mergellina Station in a nice neighborhood within walking distance of the hydrofoils (aliscafi) to the islands. The hydrofoils take 1/2 hour to Ischia and cost $8. Big car ferries from Naples' grubbier main port of Molo Beverello cost half as much but take twice as long.

Tired after my flight from California and the train ride, I accidentally got off at Casamicciola Terme on Ischiaís north coast instead of the main port. By the time I figured out what had happened, I had checked into a modest, family hotel with a rooftop pool. It cost only $30 per night, and the single I got was truly a single like a cot at summer camp.

Most restaurants at Casamicciola Terme weren't open for the season, so I took dinner in my hotel. They served seafood broth with pasta, tasty boiled fish and new potatoes, salad with ripe tomatoes, an orange-flavored custard , and coffee. That plus the roll and coffee for breakfast the next morning added $10 to my hotel bill. I also had light island wine, a bit much in my weakened condition, but I did sleep well!

The next day, I set off for Ischia Porto, catching one of the frequent busses. I had intended to walk the few miles, but underestimated the steep hills along the way. Youíre supposed to buy tickets in advance at a tobacco shop, but the driver just smiled and said, ìNo problem,î when I tried to pay.

The driver's attitude was typical for the island. The islanders treated tourists well and seemed genuinely friendly. The visit was also inexpensive, an ideal vacation spot for the slightly adventurous but not masochistic traveler. And no, I didn't take a radioactive bath. I think I get enough radioactivity from natural sources and dental X-rays without seeking more. But to each his own...

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