ISCHIA: the Italian Island with that Special Mud

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By Sharri Whiting

There is nothing like a little mud-slinging to attract the undivided attention of those in the know—ask Elizabeth Taylor, who tried to escape to Ischia with her lover Richard Burton in 1962, and was pursued by the international press. Today on the island, the mud in question is volcanic, but its effects, like gossip, are still immediately satisfying.

Ischia, most easily reached by public ferry from Naples, is dotted with places to stay. Many offer spectacular views, as well as easy access to the mud baths and thermal springs revered by visitors since the Greeks arrived in the 8th century BC. The azure waters, which were showcased in the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley, are fringed with beaches and soaring mountains.

The great thing about all this volcanic mud and the thermal springs is that they are available in public parks all over the island. For a flat fee, you can walk in and have your pick from swimming pools at various temperatures, the Mediterranean beaches, and other facilities, such as dressing rooms, lounge chairs and ombrellone. There are public beaches without spas, too, where you may rent a lounge chair and umbrella. Of course, if you want really private treatment, there are five star resort hotels ready to treat you like royalty in their own luxury spas (more about that later).

The mud really is volcanic and has mystical properties that make you want to dance and shout, or at least walk over to the nearest pizzeria and order something with anchovies. According to law, the mud is preserved carefully and allowed to regenerate after use. So, when the mud therapist washes the mud off your body, it is actually saved and left for six months, the ultimate in recycling.

Three of the dozens of park/spas are worth going for a day or an afternoon. At the top is Negomo, in Lacco Ameno (www.negombo.it), with sculpture gardens interspersed with miniparks and swimming pools. A flat day rate of around $35 gets you parking, lounge chairs on the beach, and access to two dozen pools that range from sea level up to spots on the hillside with spectacular views of the Mediterranean. The brochure suggests you begin with pools that are little more than tepid in temperature and continue on, increasing the temperature, as you visit pools higher and higher up the hill. The Kniepp pools require a bit of fortitude – you get into the very hot one first and then lower yourself into the almost freezing adjacent pool. It gets easier if you make the cycle three times, as suggested.

There are mud treatments, massages and medically related waters to immerse yourself in, all available in the clinic on site. The restaurant offers a broad menu, with outside dining, and the gigantic fruit plate is fantastic.

Also excellent is Poisedon near Forio d’Ischia (www.giardiniposeidon.it), a huge park full of flower gardens, pools, clinics, coffee and snack bar, restaurant, and a very long beach. The pools are situated in sunshine and shade, on flatland and up the hills overlooking the sea. Operated by Germans, you will find this park absolutely immaculate. The cost is about the same as Negombo and the facilities as good – the atmosphere is designed to make visitors feel that hygiene and health are paramount.

For a half day experience, Il Giardino Eden (www.giardiniposeidon.it) at Ischia Ponte is really fun and a little less expensive. Just make sure that, whichever half of the day you pick, lunch is involved. This little Eden has wonderful fresh seafood, eaten with a view of the magnificent Castello Aragonese and the blue blue sea. There is no real beach, but there are lounge chairs set along a rocky promontory with easy access to the Mediterranean. Within the park, there are pools and treatment rooms.

Ischia does have bus transport, but it’s preferable to rent a car or water taxi to get where you’re going. The island isn’t as large as Sicily, but it’s much bigger than Capri, with more villages and beachfront shopping areas to explore. An especially fun day, if you can handle watercraft, is to rent a small boat and spend the day circumnavigating the island. Throw out the anchor whenever you want a swim, or stop in a secluded harbor for lunch at a beachside restaurant.

Where to stay? If you’d like something unique, try the Albergo Il Monastero (www.castelloaragonese.it). This is the ultimate definition of “location, location, location.” Sitting atop the grand fortress of the ancient Castello Aragonese, the most striking monument on Ischia, the albergo itself was a former monastery.

The castello is actually a small island, connected to the main island of Ischia by a narrow causeway stretching across 300 yards of water. (The entrance to the castello can be reached on foot, by car or by boat, but parking is only for guests). Built in 1141 by Alfonso D’Aragona atop the ruins of a fortress dating back to 474 B.C., the castello was once home to the Principessa Vittoria Colonna, who traded poems with Michelangelo when he lived nearby.

Adding to the beauty of the setting is the privacy – after 7:30 pm, the Castello Aragonese is closed to the public and only guests with keys may enter the fortress. There is a modern elevator, which whisks guests up 262 feet to arrive high inside the castello at the entrance to the hotel.

The twenty-two rooms are simple and comfortable, with postcard views. The prices are reasonable both in the hotel and the restaurant. It is the perfect setting for a bride, groom and entire wedding party – there are churches and outdoor areas to hold the ceremony, with the reception or dinner for up to seventy people on the terrace, overlooking the sunset. By taking the entire hotel, a group will have complete access in the evening to the fortress, the old churches, olive groves, monastery, restaurant and caféteria overlooking the Mediterranean.

Of the hotels in the five star category, there is nothing to equal the Mezzatorre Resort & Spa ( www.mezzatorre.it ), an oasis of luxury designed around a 16th Century red tower and nestled in fifteen acres dappled with pine and oak. Perched atop a promontory that sweeps majestically down to the sea, its guestrooms and suites have been enjoyed by Donatella Versace, author Michael Crichton, and members of European royal families. Why not you?

The spa at Mezzatorre offers many traditional treatments available in the fourteen treatment rooms, but the mud treatments are unique to Ischia. The clay mud from Mt. Epomeo, moistened with hot mineral spring water found 300 feet under the sea, makes the experience completely relaxing. Guests often come to Mezzatorre for a week and divide their days between the beach, pool, thermal baths at Negomba, and the spa services at the hotel. After you treatment, sit out on the terrace and marvel at the stretch of sparking waters unfolding before you. (Sigh).

Albergo San Montano (www.sanmontano.com) perches high atop Monte Vico, with a breathtaking view from almost every perspective. In keeping with the wellness and beauty focus in Ischia, the hotel has a large spa, as well as two outdoor pools, one with naturally heated thermal water and the other filled with seawater. Nestled inside the rocks is a sauna heated by volcanic steam -- the temperature depends on what Mother Nature has in mind for the day. The spa, Terme San Montano, with its twenty treatment rooms, features the skincare system developed by the well-known American physician, N.V. Perricone, M.D., who has worked with celebrities such as Julia Roberts. From the hotel, you can see down to Negombo park far below – the Albergo San Montano has a reciprocal relationship with the park and offers transportation for its guests who want to visit.

Shopping is everywhere, with boutiques tucked into narrow cobbled streets. The ceramics on Ischia are wonderful, as is the locally made wine – both are available from numerous shops stocking Ischian specialities. Like most Mediterranean islands, Ischia is known for a variety of fresh seafoods. Pasta with frutta dal mare is usually different – and delicious – at every restaurant. Ask for the fish of the day for a secondo. Or, just stop into a pizzeria and get a seafood pizza or the Napoli, with anchovies. Delicious.