Life is Good Wild and Sweet

When Molly originally called me last weekend and asked if I wanted to go to Ischia, I said yes without even knowing what I was getting myself into. A week later I couldn’t imagine not venturing to that beautiful island off the coast of Naples in the Mediterranean.

The weekend started on Friday morning when we got to Termini to make our train reservation to Naples. For †5 each we managed to get a first class compartment. We were living the high life already! (and when I say the high life I mean that we had blinds on our window). But the ride was smooth and easy with no blips in the plan. When we got off the train I was essentially disgusted. Naples was gross and dirty. I didn’t take any pictures so I can’t give an accurate showcase of the ickiness that the city was. By the time we boarded the boat to Ischia an hour later I was beyond happy to be leaving the birthplace of pizza.

Our first experience in Ischia involved an over crowded bus that took us from one side of the island to the other. I’m not exactly sure what happened on that bus, but all I know was my claustrophobia was going nuts – I was sandwiched between a lady in awful polka-dotted pants and the ticket-validating machine. Towards the back of the bus people were yelling at each other in Italian. Who knows what it was about… When the 5 of us got off that bus I think the only word to describe us would be elated.

The Ring Hostel, the place that we stayed, was so much more than we bargained for – in a good way. When we got there to check in, we were greeted with notes on the walls from all of the past guests. The notes were praising the hostel, the island, and the food among other things. It was nice to know that people loved being here, it certainly helped to put my mind at ease. We were told that every night at 8:00 guests are shuttled over to the family run restaurant that is owned by the same people that own the hostel.

After spending an hour or so at the beach (and getting out all of our pent up energy out through a silly photo shoot), we headed back to the hostel to get ready for what we had yet to find out – a night that would be the best that we have had since arriving in Italy. The food was amazing (gnocchi with homemade pesto and red sauce), the company was incredible, the ride to the restaurant put any rollercoaster to shame, and the dancing – well, the dancing just topped the whole night off.

Saturday we spent a good portion of the day at Negombo, a “hydrothermal park,” which is made up of these incredible pools that are heated entirely by the thermal heat from inside the ground. The 5 of us spent the entire afternoon hopping from pool to pool to pool, each one a different temperature with something new to discover. It was just such a relaxing day all the way around – totally worth the really pruney hands and feet that I walked away with.

Overall it was another great weekend. I know that one day I am going to have to go back there and spend more time on the island and “live like the islanders.” If anyone you know is contemplating going to Capri, suggest Ischia to them instead. We have heard that Ischia is much more charming and far less touristy. And besides, it is close enough that you could go to Capri for a day, but return to Ischia at night. I would highly recommend this beautiful island to anyone who wants good food and a relaxing vacation.

to see my pictures from the weekend click here!