Explore this crowd-free isle for an authentic Italian immersion

Visiting Italy often means conceding that your holiday will include crowds – lots of crowds. But not in Ischia, an under-the-radar island offering the authentic Italian Mediterranean holiday you’ve been dreaming of

It is famous in Europe for its mineral-rich thermal springs – the same ones Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s Cleopatra on-set affair was outed. As the backdrop to Hollywood classic The Talented Mr Ripley. And for being the holiday isle in Elena Ferrante’s cult My Brilliant Friend novels. But perhaps Ischia’s true claim to fame (or the one that the locals are most proud of) is just how this idyllic volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples has remained under the radar for as long as it has.

While the jet-set have descended on Italy’s Amalfi Coast since the 1950s (subsequently earning it the tongue-in-cheek moniker ‘Costa Diva’), those looking for an authentically Italian island holiday have always turned to Ischia – even the Italians. Here, alongside the five-star terme (spa) resorts and Michelin-starred restaurants, you’ll find Saint Day parades, nonnas leaning out the window hanging their washing, and kids playing calcio in the street while eating cherries, spitting the pits as they perfect their Maradona turns.

The island antidote

Ischia, put simply, is the perfect antidote to her more polished sister. “Ischia will never end up like Capri” is a phrase I hear more than once on my visit in the early summer. Off the coast of Naples, Capri is where you go to be seen – Ischia is where you go to disconnect. And where better to do just that than on an island teeming with Marie Curie-certified thermal waters?

“It’s always possible, no matter the season you visit, to find a place of tranquillity and relaxation here, through our local culture, food and traditions,” says Arcangelo De Siano, general manager at San Montano Resort & Spa. “Ischia is a wellness destination, but people make the destination. And Ischians are so passionate and eager to show the beauty here.” 

A 50-minute hydrofoil ride from Naples, Ischia started life as an agricultural island; sea families caught and sold fish at market while mountain families managed the land for volcanic wines and bred rabbits. While fish, wine and rabbit remain island staples (Ischia-style rabbit stew cooked in a tomato and basil base – coniglio all’ischitana – is the culinary speciality), the island was relatively undiscovered by tourists until the 1950s when well-to-do Europeans came to heal their ails in Ischia’s terme, and Hollywood soon followed. 

Blessed with abundant thermal waters containing sodium, potassium, sulphur and calcium (essential for joint elasticity and muscle dynamics), Ischia might be packed with thermal spa resorts, but they’re not the faceless, cookie-cutter spas found elsewhere. On Ischia, everyone knows each other in the best possible way; that charming way that only southern Italians can get away with – once you’ve checked in, you’re considered family, and more often than not, there’s generations of family members working at that very hotel who welcome you into the fold.

Welcoming stays

The staff at San Montano Resort & Spa know they might only see guests twice: at check-in and check-out. With 11 outdoor terme pools, an indoor pool, panoramic tubs and pools overlooking neighbouring island Procida and a private beach, who can blame those visiting from never leaving the property?

“We know we have done our job well if this happens,” says De Siano. Except, of course, when you’ve been out all day like I have, have a hankering for authentic Napoli pizza and you make a beeline for the reception desk.

“Signora, I’m sorry the pizza chef just closed the oven.” It’s the forlorn look on my face that gives me away. “Aspetta, wait, I know a place,” says the always-smiling Elisabetta. “It’s the best pizza on the whole island. We don’t usually do this…” But, of course, they do. And within minutes, my pizza is on the way.

A four-minute drive down a windy road to the quaint town of Lacco Ameno, hotel Regina Isabella sits on the site of ancient Greco-Roman ruins and is, quite fittingly, a heady mix of old Hollywood meets la dolce vita. It was founded by the late Italian film producer Angelo Rizzoli in 1956, and within a few years the hotel was on the map: Maria Callas, Sophia Loren and Truman Capote were just some of the legends who checked stayed in the early years, alongside a very memorable, love-struck Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who carried on their affair at the hotel while filming Cleopatra in 1963.

The property continues to lure the well-heeled today – those who are keen to sample the indulgent volcanic mud treatments and thermal baths, take a dip in the private bay and beach, and to dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant, where culinary genius chef Pasquale Palamaro creates theatre on a plate. 

Natural beauty

I may not share the red-carpet glamour of the hotel’s past guests, but Roberto, the lifelong concierge, welcomes me with enthusiasm and a must-see tip echoed by most locals I meet: “You have to visit Giardini la Mortella!” he says. I am way ahead of him. Arriving at the two-hectare Mediterranean and sub-tropical garden designed by Lady Susana Walton, wife of composer Sir William Walton, I immediately see why it was named Italy’s most beautiful garden in 2004. A network of paths, ramps and steps link the upper and lower gardens, bursting with exotic, rare plants. But the highlight is the magical Water Garden, which was inspired by Monet’s masterpiece in Giverny.

Leaving the hotel the following morning, my path is blocked by a procession for Santa Restituta, one of the most loved saints on the island. According to legend, Restituta – a young, North African Christian martyr – was arrested for her faith, placed on a burning boat and set adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. Instead of perishing, Restituta washed up on Ischia’s shores and was rescued by locals.

Coming face-to-face with a 22-piece band, six priests, a procession of locals and a huge statue carried on the shoulders of 12 men might seem like a bit much for 9am on an average Tuesday, but it feels entirely fitting on authentic and culturally-rich Ischia. Everyone is out and united in their reverence for the saint who watches over their island. After making eye contact with a smiling nonna pushing her granddaughter in a stroller, I ask her about Santa Restituta. “Faith, resilience and courage,” she says, gently placing her hand on mine.

Storied stays

As the procession fades into the distance, I make my way to the northwestern tip of the island, where another of Ischia’s treasures awaits. Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa stands on the site of a 16^th-century watchtower built by the Aragonese family (whose castle famously appeared in The Talented Mr. Ripley). Once owned by the legendary Italian director Luchino Visconti, it now belongs to the Pellicano Hotels Group, which has done a stellar job preserving its historical charm.

From the mosaic tiles in the bathrooms to the Instagram-famous scalloped umbrellas by the pool, CEO Marie-Louise Sciò has stamped her distinctive style throughout the hotel, perfecting the iconic Visconti pink umbrellas to reflect the terracotta hues of an Ischian sunset. “Each moment beneath the umbrellas is a scene straight out of a classic Italian film,” she says. I don’t have the heart to tell Marie-Louise this isn’t exactly challenging – wherever you are on the seven-hectare pine-forest property, the deep blue-green Gulf of Naples is always in view, with or without a Visconti pink umbrella. 

On Ischia, everyone knows each other in the best possible way; that charming way that only southern Italians can get away with

While Sciò’s modern elegance marks one facet of Ischia’s charm, another hotel offers a glimpse into its storied past. The Excelsior Belvedere Hotel & Spa – once the grand villa of English aristocrat and then an Italian count – was transformed into a luxury resort in the 1950s. The type of old-world charm that money can’t buy rules here. The Belvedere is also home to the island’s first American-style bar: liquor bottles – not the coffee machine – sit front and centre, and in true Dickie Greenleaf fashion, it was this very bar that introduced American cocktail culture to the island in the mid-century.

As I pull up to the port to catch my ferry back to Naples, my driver Bruno, a kind but matter-of-fact-man in his 60s, offers to stand in line for my ticket, just as the heavens open. I hesitate. “Really, it’s OK. I can do it,” he says, adding, “I don’t usually do it, but today, for you, yes.” Moments later, with my ticket in hand, he bids me farewell like family. “We will see you next year, si?.” I smile, knowing it’s a promise. As the ferry pulls away, Ischia and its people – Elisabetta’s pizza rescue, Roberto’s heartfelt recommendations, Bruno’s quiet kindness in the rain – stay with me. De Siano was right: the essence of a place is its people. Ischia is no exception.

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Healing properties

When you soak in Ischia’s thermal waters, rest assured that they have the seal of approval from Marie Curie. The renowned physicist and chemist studied these waters and, impressed by their composition (rich in elements like sodium, potassium, sulphur, and calcium), affirmed their therapeutic qualities. Curie’s endorsement enhances Ischia’s reputation as a premier wellness destination.