Trip report - Naples, Ischia & Amalfi Coast

I'm just in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Amalfi Coast next year. Looking forward to hearing more.

Greetings, Caroline, and thank you for the trip report. DH and I hope to visit Rome and Naples later this year. The info you provide will come in handy, especially Antica Pizzeria Da Michele. I am fascinated by the varying degree of reviews on Naples and look forward to the experience.

You're the first person on this forum that has good things to say about Naples. I was going to travel there this month, but I read so many negative posts about it that made me changed my mind and erased it off my itinerary. I kind of regret it now. I am looking forward to reading the rest of your itinerary.

Shadrach, what a shame. Couldn't you change your itinerary back again ? I have seen some other positive reviews of Naples, either here or on Tripadvisor.

I get the impression that people who think it's dangerous probably aren't used to big cities. And I think that maybe people who aren't used to historic cities think it looks very rundown, which they equate to poor and thence to threatening.

There were certainly other tourists there, mainly German & British as far as I could tell. I don't remember hearing any American accents.

Another caveat I missed out about Ischia : as others have mentioned on this board, the 2nd language is German. So you might have a little difficulty if you don't speak Italian or German.

This is very odd. I saw my second instalment (Ischia) posted here earlier, then Shadrach's comment - but now instalment 2 has disappeared ! Trying again...

Hi CE,

Thanks for a very interesting report. Look forward to more.

Thanks Ira ! That means a lot coming from such a seasoned 'old hand' as yourself. Here's the disappearing Part 2 again...

Part 2 is back !! What's going on ??

Oh no, it's gone again ! What is going on ? Trying again - apologies if it ends up here twice :-

Ischia, June 3-10
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Got hydrofoil from Beverello to Ischia Porto. Had v. nice & cheap lunch of fritto misto di mare at O'Fraulese right on the harbourside (liked it so much we had the same on the way back !), then got bus to Sant'Angelo.

An aside to thank those who urged me to stay in Sant'Angelo instead of Forio as I'd initially thought to do. Sant'Angelo is definitely the nicest place on the island !

Walked from bus stop (downhill) to hotel.

Hotel : we were even more pleased with the Casa Celestino, which was perfectly placed facing the sea just before the main square. Our room (€150 pn for a double) was lovely and had a nice large balcony with table, chairs & loungers. We only ate in the hotel restaurant once but the menu seemed quite nice. Most people were on half board but we went B&B. The only reservation I have is that the staff weren't very friendly, with the exception of one nice waiter.

Alternated lazing around with gentle activities : one trip to the beach in Sant'Angelo, an afternoon at the grandly-named Giardini Termale Aphrodite Apollon at the Hotel Miramare, a visit to La Mortella including a concert introduced by Lady Walton, Ischia Ponte to visit the Castello Aragonese, day trip to Procida.

Most restaurants served mostly seafood as we were by the sea; but we knew we'd be eating excellent seafood for every meal during the third week so didn't eat it much in Ischia. Ate at Da Pasquale (mainly a pizzeria – pizza quite good but not as good as in Naples) a few times – quite cheap. Had surprising difficulty finding anywhere in Sant'Angelo to cook us rabbit, but eventually had that too at Da Pasquale and it was fantastically tasty. They served us penne with rabbit sauce to start, then the main parts of the rabbit just chopped into chunks (plus brain, heart etc), all cooked with lots of mountain herbs and maybe a touch of chilli. Needs ordering a day ahead.

We also enjoyed nice pastries in Sant'Angelo, from the wonderfully named 'La Dolce e Vita' in the main square. And large ferocious Negronis, everywhere

Overall impression : Ischia is idyllic and we will go back. My only reservation is that every afternoon, Sant'Angelo beach got very windy and since it wasn't that hot to start with, that made it too cold. I'd be interested to hear from any regulars whether it's always like that ?

And as others have said, German is the second language; so you might have a bit of difficulty if you don't speak Italian or German.

Caroline, Welcome back. Very much enjoying your report as we are going to be in Italy next month with a week of our vacation spent between Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Thanks for sharing! Have written down your pizza comments as our plan is to only eat pizza in Naples!

Sally

Anxiously awaiting the Amalfi Coast!

I enjoyed the Ischia part of your trip report. However, I would've liked to read about your daytrip to Procida.

Thanks folks.

welch, I'm afraid you won't find my Amalfi Coast section very useful as we basically did nothing there !

But first, here's an unscheduled Part 2.5, just for Shadrach...

Day trip to Procida
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This was rather a disorganised day so we didn't spend as long on Procida as we'd have liked. Bus to Ischia Porto was unusually slow so we had to wait until 12 to get a hydrofoil (not having realised that the previous one was from Casamicciola). So it was almost lunchtime when we arrived and we just started by strolling up & down the front in Marina Grande to look round there & find a place to eat.

We'd so far been frustrated in our quest for 'Ischian-style rabbit'. Nowhere in Sant'Angelo seemed to offer it apart from one place where it was incredibly expensive. I'd even resorted to asking our breakfast waitress "dove possiamo mangiare il coniglio ?" to which the answer was "in montagne". We were only about 2 miles away from these mountains ! But we were beginning to think we might have to make a special trip there on our last day. However our guidebook listed a beach bar near the port of Marina Grande, the Grotto Blu, which was supposed to do 'Procida-style' rabbit. However it looked as though it was only open for drinks & maybe snacks – maybe too early in the season ? Then we tried another place quite near the dock but it was explained to us there that the rabbit needed 24 hours notice, for marinating as far as I could make out. We had a final try at the place next to that which advertised 'Boconcini di Coniglio all'erbe' and we were in luck ! It maybe wasn't the authentic local recipe, but we wanted some. In fact we had a very nice lunch there – the Ristorante Bardero.

Unfortunately it was such a nice lunch we didn't have much time left for sightseeing – we wanted to get the hydrofoil back at 1645 as the one after that wasn't until 1845 (and we would have up to an hour's bus journey back to Sant'Angelo after that). So we just followed part of a walk in my guidebook, up from the port to the ancient walled village of Terra Murata. Great views of both sides of the island on the way up – especially of Corricella which looked very nice. When we got to Terra Murata (note to self – get bus next time ) we looked round the abbey but unfortunately didn't have time for the museum and tour of the catacombs, which the guidebook made sound very interesting. Then walked back to the dock via a lemon granita.

Even without seeing the main beach area we thought Procida was lovely and agreed we'd like to go back and stay there for a few days another time. At the time of year we were there, it was lovely and peaceful. And must finally get round to watching 'Il Postino', which was partly filmed there, first.

Thanks Caroline for adding your daytrip to Procida to your trip report.

I have always been interested in that isle since I saw "The Postman" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley".

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Amalfi Coast (near Positano), June 10-17
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As always in this part of the world, journeys were long and complicated; although having said that, each journey, although long, went very smoothly.

Took 7 hours to get from Sant'Angelo to our accommodation near Positano !! (about 30 miles ?!). Walked to taxi stop, taxi to bus stop (uphill), bus to Ischia Porto, lunch, hydrofoil to Naples Beverello, hydrofoil to Sorrento, local bus to Circumvesuviana station, SITA bus to Positano, walked down to Piazza dei Mulini, gave suitcases to porter, walked to dock, got boat (the "hotel shuttle" !) to accommodation.

We stayed at Le Sirene on Spiaggia Laurito, a couple of bays south of Positano (just past the hotel San Pietro) - not to be confused with Le Sirene in Praino. It is essentially just a beach bar with rooms and we stayed there for a week last year too (after a tiring week in Venice). Rooms (€120 pn for a double) fairly basic (no aircon) but adequate; but the place is totally relaxing & most importantly – does fantastic fresh seafood and seafood-based pasta dishes. At lunchtime and when there is the demand at night, they light the barbeque & cook the best fish in the world on it and – my very favourite – mozzarella barbecued on lemon leaves. We first came across this place a few years ago when staying actually in Positano, when we got their boat from the main Positano dock for a day at the beach. There is another place on the same beach - Da Adolfo - which also runs a boat from Positano & also does lunch but doesn't have rooms.

I only left Spiaggia Laurito once all week, to go up to Montepertuso for my birthday dinner. I chose Il Ritrovo which was a big mistake – free transport but awful food (I was actually sick) and totally populated by non-Italian tourists. Goodness knows how it made it into the Slow Food guide. Nice bottle of Taurasi though

The rest of the time I just ate, drank, sunbathed, swam, read and enjoyed the views and the peace & quiet. DH also got the boat into town each morning for a paper, and watched some World Cup matches in the bar.

The journey back to the airport was less arduous than expected. Since we would be arriving back in Positano by the Le Sirene boat, it was easiest to leave Positano by boat too : but when we visited last year the Metro del Mare to Naples didn't start running until July, and this year it was looking as though it would be the same again. So we resigned ourselves to the walk uphill from the dock to Piazza dei Mulini, local bus or taxi to SITA bus stop, SITA bus to Sorrento, Curreri bus to airport. But when we arrived at the dock lo & behold, there was a Metro del Mare ready to leave for Naples ! I think it had just started running that day. So nice cool, comfortable boat ride to Naples, then the airport bus from just across the road from the port at Piazza Municipio - €9 each including the bus ! So a mere 3.5 hours travelling - then 3.5 hours at the airport…

Three weeks is definitely the way to go : although we had been in the throes of trying to moving house for 3 months before the holiday, and returned to more of the same, we were able totally to relax.

The only downside is that we were a bit unlucky with the weather. I've visited Italy mostly in June and it's nearly always been hot. This time we were a couple of weeks earlier than normal but apart from that I think it was cooler than usual, and we had two days of rain and several cloudy days. In fact something seemed to have got mixed up, and we had Scotland's weather part of the time, while Scotland had southern Italy's weather ! The first day intended for doing nothing on the beach was 16 degrees C & raining in Naples, and 22 degrees in Edinburgh !! And the water was really too cold for swimming, prior to the last two days. Resolved not to go any earlier than my birthday in future, despite DH's whingeing about it being too hot then

Roll on next June.

Thanks for the report! The Amalfi Coast is on our future trip radar.

Caroline,

Had been wondering about your trip report - I just clicked your name on another post to find it & I'm very glad that I did - really enjoyed it!

Jim

Thanks Jim !

Caroline,

I just found your trip report, and it piqued my interest. (My husband would love to take a relaxing trip like yours.) He's tired of climbing hills and mountains in Italy!

I am in the early stages of planning our May 2007 trip to either Ischia, Capri or Positano. The last time we were on the Amalfi Coast in the month May there was a heat wave, but that certainly wasn't the kind of weather you experienced.

No one has responded to your reporting afternoon windy conditions on the beach in Sant'Angelo, Ischia, and I wonder if it was an anomaly.

Mamma Mia! 7 hours to get to Positano! The way the bird flies, it's probably only an hour.

Hi, i_am_kane. Yes the weather was disappointing this year - although it sounds like it got even worse later on. I've nearly always been between late May & late June before & it's always been hot - apart from Ravello which I put down to its altitude. I used to take a sweater just in case, but didn't bother this year, for the first time - typical ! I shall take one next year

Your trip report is getting me to think about future travels. Great stuff! I will read it top to bottom when I have more time. Thanks, caroline!

Very nice review but sorry about the weather

You're welcome ! If you want any more detail about anything, just asked.

Already planning next June's trip

Bringing up this excellent report..

Ischia can get windy (We were on a round trip in a boat and got stranded miles from our hotel) but is well worth a visit. The Punto Mulina is a great hotel and has a good spa. Their private beach is small but adequate for ones' needs. The food is good and reasonably priced in my view although Italy has got steadily more expensive since the introductio of the Euro.

A day trip to Capri is worth doing and the secenery of the borganvilla is breathtaking.

The gardens in Ischia are a must.

Hope that this helps

thanks! printing this off so I can read later for my upcoming holiday to Amalfi.

Caroline, Since you first posted, my husband and I have visited Ischia (May 3- May 6).

Because of poor weather conditions, the hydrofoil wasn't running between Molo Beverello and Ischia Porto, so we ended up on the slow ferry (with a stop at Procida).

The Villa Durruell in in Ischia Ponte was perfect for us because of the not-so-perfect weather upon arrival. This lovely hotel has spa facilities, so we able to take advantage of a mineral water pool, steam baths, etc.

We needed a sweater/lt. jacket the first day om our walk into town, but when the weather cleared, and the sun came out, it was perfect.

We took a bus ride around the island, and commented how neat and orderly Casamicciola looked. I agree, Sant'Angelo is the prettiest village on the island. Our lunch at Il Neptune Ristorante overlooking the Sant'Angelo peninsula was memorable. BTW, we never encountered any strong winds.

We window shopped in Ischia Porto on a Saturday when it was active with tourists from the cruise ships. Actually, it was a nice change to see other people because Ischia Ponte was fairly quiet.

O Sole Mio Ristorante in Ischia Ponte was our favorite restaurant (down on the beach).

Hi ekscrunchy, thanks for your kind words.

We are currently in Venice after a week in Ischia, same hotel as last time. This time we did nothing except go to the beach, eat, drink & sleep !

It usually got a bit windy in the afternoon on the Sant'Angelo beach, but not too much. Last year we were there 2 weeks earlier & it was unusually cool, so the wind was a bit of a problem then but not this time.

Interesting to read your comments i_am_kane & glad you had a nice time.

caroline, I've just been reading your report last year, as I want to stay in Naples for 3 nights in July. Can you tell me whether the Hotel Executive has an elevator?

ttt

Hi Susan. Yes it does, although there are a few steps between the entrance & reception and then (I think) between reception & the lift - max 3 or 4, though, I think.

Thanks, Caroline. On the website, I thought the one picture looked like a guy in front of an elevator at the top of three or four steps, but wanted to be sure. I appreciate the information.

Thank you for posting about your trip.

I loved my only stay (4 nights) in Ischia, too. We stayed in Casamicciola and it was the perfect location for us, but agree that Sant'Angelo is charming.

Our hotel - very eccentric and family-run place - prepared the tradtional rabbit for us at lunch one day. One of us is sure she heard a gun fire not long before lunch, but I think she is making that up for a better story...

Also loved the natural hot springs near Forio. A highlight of our trip.

There was a religous holiday when we were there (lapsed Catholic that I am, I can't remember which one, but beginning of June) and we loved the local celebrations and parades, complete with little tennis-shoe-clad girls in angel wings, multi-generational brass bands, and flowerpetal 'paintings' everywhere.

Susan, you're welcome. Hi Annabelle, I love the rabbit story ! We must try & do more hot springs next time - all we've done so far is the Giardini Aphrodite-Apollon & I'd like to try somewhere more natural.

Some of the best food we had on Ischia was at our hotel - a very family-run place. When we arrived very late, after a huge Rome-Naples train delay and subsequent late arrival at Ischia, our hosts fired up their wood oven and made us fresh pizza. Some of the vegetables were from their on-site garden. Kind of made up for how completely wacky the hotel was!

Next time, do try the 'wild' hot springs - although with an adjacent cafe that lets you take your glass of prosecco right into the sea, pretty civilized. What makes them so fun is that the hot water just bubbles up from the sea floor.

You walk from the rocks into the sea and plop yourself down in the shallow water. Soon you'll find a surprisingly pleasant stream of hot water shooting up through the cool Mediterranean. Ahhh, bliss.

If Leonardo is still there (an eccentric aging hippie giving massages and facials)you can get a green thermal mud facial, right from the source. I bought a bottle of it from him and it is great stuff - not drying at all.

Hi Annabelle. Sounds great, especially the prosecco bit Can you tell me, please, how to find these springs, travelling by bus ? Is there a place name we could ask the driver for ? Thanks very much.

Caroline, I recall that it was past Forio, near someplace called Panza. I am sorry but I don't know the exact name of the bay. I think it is well-enough known; I bet if you asked the hotel they could help you out.(This is what we did; we then took a taxi there because it was a day of bus strikes on the island.)

After we were let out, by the side of the cliff, basically, we walked down a staircase (seemed that I read it was 200 stairs?) and there was a rocky bay with a small restaurant/bar. You can rent a lounge chair w/umbrella and hang out on the narrow patio area of the restaurant, or do what we did - spread sarongs and towels on the rocky shore for free.

Wear or take something like Teva sandals to make it easier to walk down the rough little 'pier' and then down into the shallow rocky bay.

The other bathers were a combination of tanned bikini-clad older Italian woman and their tanned bikini-clad husbands, Italian families, a few Germans and British bathers and a couple of Canadian girls.

We bought glasses of prosecco at the restaurant, which they let us take back to our spot. They were very friendly about letting us use their bathroom and tiny changing room, by the way.

Lovely, mellow day, just wallowing in the cool water looking for hot spots.

Annabelle, thank you so much, that sounds lovely - copying this into my notes for next year !

Caroline/ Annabelle - The Baia di Sorgeto, perhaps?

http://www.sorgeto.it/main_english.htm

http://www.eurogeopark.com/Bilder/Geologia/Thermalwasser/ForioSorgeto.jpg

Steve

That's it, thanks Steve James! Although the guy applying the mud to the woman's face is not 'our' Leonardo. Leonardo is a wiry hippie guy - but probably the same age as the man in the photo...

The English translation (first link) is quite mind boggling, very similar to the English version of our Ischia hotel's website. I love Ischia!

Annabelle - Bikini-clad husbands?

Sounds worrying ...!

Steve, thank you too ! (How *do* you come to know *everything* ?! ) The mention of boats is interesting - it makes me think that maybe it wouldn't be too expensive to get a taxi-boat from and back to Sant'Angelo, to avoid those steps. I know there is a price list on the dock but have never been sure where all the listed destinations are.

Well, to clarify, their wee Speedos were about the size of their wives' bikini bottoms...

My goodness - so much ischia info - we are going in July and are still trying to book a hotel - can't seem to get replies from the websites - is this the best way to book? As you all know Ischia so well, do you have any ideas for things that 2 well-behaved children might enjoy - i'm really keen for them to see something like mozerella/pizza/pasta making or winemaking or something similar - was going to do a day trip to Vesuvius & Pompeii but have been advised against it because of the heat! Help!

In the summer there are aliscafi (jet boats) from Amalfi to Ischia. I'm not sure if they stop on the way, but you don't have to change boats.

' ... was going to do a day trip to Vesuvius & Pompeii but have been advised against it because of the heat!'

Vesuvius is probably the best place to be on a hot day

Steve

Jenny, I don't know of any of the activities you mention on Ischia. However, with children I'd suggest you stay in Ischia Porto or Ponte for easy access to the castle, ferries to other places & generally more goings-on.

Moltissimo grazie, bella! Where may I read of your favourite spots and times around Sicily and the Aeolians. You seem quite an enchantress! Negronis and Stromboli at sunset would be heaven.

Christian, that is very sweet of you !

We spent part of our honeymoon at the Hotel Raya on Panarea, with the view of Stromboli. It was the week after (a late) Easter and very quiet - we actually had the hotel to ourselves for part of the time ! I have always wondered whether I would like it as much in the high season - I suspect not. We had a lovely lazy time, not doing very much all day, then wandering down for Negronis & canapes before 3 courses of fantastic fresh seafood evey night - it was completely idyllic. As a contrast we had 3 nights each both beforehand & afterwards at the San Domenico Palace in Taormina.

Other places in Sicily I've enjoyed are all the obvious ones -Palermo (which we loved in much the same way we love Naples), Taormina, Siracusa, Agrigento, Piazza Armerina & Ragusa. The only place I didn't like so much was Cefalu - I'm not sure why as others seem to love it.

Sadly we haven't been back to Sicily for a few years - I think the last time was 2002 - so I've never done a trip report on it. It must be time to go back ! But now we are totally addicted to Venice so find it hard to go anywhere else.

Caroline, I know what you mean about an addiction to Venice. We went twice last year (could have been trip nos. 6 and 7) and it was a real effort to book somewhere else this year (Rome and Naples, as you know.) Of course there's still lots of time to fit in another one.

What is it about Venice? I just feel so happy walking around, doing a bit of museum going, a bit of shopping, quite alot of eating and drinking. Could heaven be like Venice?