Ischia

My brilliant friend – Ischia! An island that has been in our “travel vault” and we haven’t had a chance to get there, but fortunately on this trip we had a change of plans that brought us to this beautiful place. We had originally planned to go to Ibiza, but with increase of Covid cases and curfews we felt like Italy was a safer destination the night before we left for our two week trip. Having done some prior research of the island, the trip was booked within hours of departure for Europe and it came together nicely! We learned more about the island while we were there and would 100% go back to explore even more. It’s a destination that is visited by Italians (hardly any Americans) and your euro goes a long way. Enjoy our two days in Ischia!

Transportation

Ferry from Naples to Forio (Ischia) – ferries run often to Ischia and we lucked out with timing from the airport to hop on the direct ferry to Forio instead of Ischia Porto (We literally were the last ones on the ferry….no joke. We hadn’t even rolled our luggage on the bridge that connected to the dock and it was being lifted up. What a rush (or anxiety attack!)
Ferry from Ischia Porto to Capri – limited direct ferries from Ischia to Capri, so make sure to check the schedule! We took Alilauro.
Around Ischia
- Taxi: Colella + 39 328 109 2286
- Taxi Boat: they are at the port in Forio or the beach clubs.

Hotel Nettuno, Forio

What a great find a week before arriving to Ischia! We had originally wanted to stay at Mezzatorre Hotel or Miramare Sea Resort, but the rooms were sold out as we booked last minute. Hotel Nettuno didn’t disappoint! It was a lovely hotel in central Forio – walking distance to shops, restaurants and the sea. Our room had a sea view and lovely balcony that we enjoyed sunsets, apertivo and even a dinner! The hotel itself was very clean and the staff onsite were helpful and welcoming. Breakfast was included in the rate, so we enjoyed a quick bite to eat before we set out on our long morning walks along the sea to explore. For the price and the location, we would highly recommend Hotel Nettuno Forio. It exceeded our expectations!

Piazzetta of Sant’Angelo

About a 15 minute drive away from our hotel was Piazzetta of Sant’Angelo. It’s a fishing village and perhaps one of the most beautiful settings on the island. It’s in an incredible position between two bays formed by a jetty of sand that is lined with sun loungers and umbrellas. We arrived in time to catch the sunset, which was spectacular. After walking around we enjoyed an apertivo at La Taverna del Pirata which overlooked the two bays. Spritz time! We ventured through the narrow alleys and ended at Da Pasquale Pizzeria. It’s a small restaurant know for the pizza. Having been our first pizza in Italy, it was delicious but we shortly realized there was better pizza in Forio! Don’t miss a trip to Sant’Angelo – day or night it’s a lovely place!

Scannella

Scannella is one of the most unique beach clubs we have ever been to. A hike down the hill (that took about 20 minutes to get to – cars aren’t allowed) and a check-in at the restaurant we had arrive to paradise! We had two sun loungers reserved (yes make reservations!) for the day and lunch reservations. It was a lovely afternoon swimming in the sea and enjoy the setting. We learned very quickly we should have brought water shoes as the rocks were a little difficult to maneuver to get into the sea. Let’s just say we probably didn’t look so graceful! One of the highlights of this day was our long Italian lunch. We had tomato salad and calamarata pasta with mixed seafood, whole fish (seabass) and some local white wine. Oh and baskets of bread too. Yes baskets is plural! It was a nice long lunch with a beautiful view overlooking the sea. Instead of hiking up the hill later that day, we decided to take the boat taxi which was the same price as the van taxi. The ride along the coast was much enjoyable and even allowed us to see parts of the island you wouldn’t see from the car. Highly recommend!

MezzoChilo Boulangerie

Having had a heavier lunch, we decided to enjoy a lighter dinner out on our balcony of our hotel. We picked up some items at MezzoChilo Boulangerie which was just down the road in town. Such a wonderful place to pick up baked goods, pre-made dinners, salads and sides. We purchased aubergine (eggplant) side and tagliolini pasta arancini (fried pasta balls). Worth every calorie! So happy we found MezzoChilo!

L’Oro di Napoli

Another great find – L’Oro di Napoli. We noticed lots of Italians that stayed on the island for an extended holiday pick up pizza from this spot. Having done some research we decided to give it a try. Going with the classic – pizza margarita, we devoured the whole pizza within 10 minutes. while sitting on our balcony enjoy the night time view of the sea. The pizza was INCREDIBLE and under €5. Knowing how good it was and that it was just a 2 minute walk from our hotel, we couldn’t just stop at one pizza. We’re back for pizza number two! Went a little adventurous and ordered the capricciosa pizza. Second pizza didn’t disappoint! Did we get a third pizza? Not this time, gelato was calling our name!