Open any map of Italy. To find out where Ischia Ponte is located, look for Naples. Right nearby are Cape Miseno, the island and town of Procida, and finally, a second, larger island — that’s Ischia. This volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea seems to guard the northern part of the Gulf of Naples. It’s also known as Enaria and belongs to the province of Naples in the Campania region.
The island of Ischia is part of the Phlegraean Archipelago and is the largest in the Gulf of Naples. It is home to three dormant volcanoes — Epomeo (789 m), Trabotti (512 m), and Monte Vezzi (Piedimonte) (395 m), which last erupted in 1301.
Of course, seismologists warn that an eruption is possible. But nowadays, this only attracts tourists rather than deters them — after all, the slopes of Epomeo offer breathtaking photo opportunities.
History
Ischia Ponte is an ancient city, although the port itself was founded only in the 19th century. The first settlements here date back to the Roman period. However, the earliest colonizers of the island were the Greeks who settled here in the 8th century BC. Unfortunately, there are very few cultural and architectural monuments left, except for the Greek necropolis in the Bay of San Montano. They called it Pithecusa.
However, during the first centuries BC, villas for the nobility were built here. There is a legend that Julius Caesar gave the entire island as a gift to the military commander Cornelius Cossus. He was not only an officer in Caesar's army but also engaged in piracy. The inhabitants of Ischia Ponte claim that it was here, on the island, that they hid slaves and plundered treasures.
The island was occupied by barbarians, Goths, Lombards, and later by Normans, Angevins, and Aragonese. Even the Saracens were here. Until the 16th century, pirates operated here, and it is said that even Barbarossa visited. In the 18th century, the island became part of the Parthenopean Republic. During this time, Saint Giuseppe della Croce lived here, and today he is revered as a saint.
The island's history as a tourist destination began around the 15th century, when the nobility came to the thermal springs not only from Italy but also from all over Europe. It began to flourish during the reign of King Alfonso V of Aragon. The famous Aragonese castle was built by him in the middle of the XV century on the site of the ancient fortress of Giron I of Syracuse (474 BC).
The port of Ischia, actually Ischia Porte, was founded in 1854 after Ferdinand the Second became interested in the place. The island changed names and was called first Pithecusa, then Aenaria, then Inarime Insula Minor. Then simply Insula and finally Iszla or Ischia in the local dialect.
The town itself lies in a closed harbour, essentially on the slope of an extinct volcano. It is considered the capital of the island and is conventionally divided into two parts. It is Ischia Porto and Ischia Ponte, with a picturesque lane between them a few minutes away. At least 18,000 people live here, so the town is even considered quite densely populated.
