|
Activities at Grand Hotel Punta Molino or nearby |
|
|
|
ABOUT ISCHIA ISLAND |
|
42km (26 miles) NW of Naples and 20km (13 miles) W of Pozzuoli
When the Greeks arrived on this coast more than 2,500 years ago, they
first landed in Ischia. They felt that Ischia was a perfect base from
which to dominate the mainland. Yet, they quickly changed their minds
and moved to nearby Cuma, by modern Pozzuoli because of Ischia's very
active volcano -- 788m-high (2,585-ft.) Monte Epomeo -- which erupted
repeatedly until the 14th century. Only then did the island's population
start growing, laying the base for the development of the today's spa
industry. The first thermal establishment opened in Casamicciola Terme
in 1604, destination of the upper crust of society. The island itself,
however, went relatively undiscovered by tourists until the 1950s, when
well-to-do Italians came here in the hopes of finding an alternative to
overcrowded Capri. Although Ischia is more popular now than it was then,
the atmosphere remains quieter than on Capri, partly because of the
island's larger size, but certainly also because of its calm and bucolic
character. |
|