Ischia: a lush island in the Bay of Naples
While Capri is an 'ultimate stop', Ischia provides a sample of 'the real Italy'

With its towering white cliffs, azure seas and ever-shifting flock of superyachts, the Italian island of Capri is "the ultimate stop on today's Grand Selfie Tour". But there's also another big island in the Bay of Naples, with less "glitz" and more "wild charm", and in my book, it's the pick of the pair, said Stephanie Rafanelli in Condé Nast Traveller.
At 18 square miles, Ischia is four times the size of its neighbour – a place "to get lost in, not be seen". The Emperor Augustus swapped it for Capri with the rulers of Neapolis (as Naples was then known), turning the smaller island into his private paradise – and while Capri (however stunning its looks today) feels like a "relic", Ischia remains a chunk of the "real Italy", a "palpably living, breathing, life-giving place". A "complex volcano" that last erupted in 1302, Ischia rises to the "hikeable" 2,589ft peak of Mount Epomeo, and is peppered with hot springs, thermal aquifers and fumaroles (volcanic vents).
Ischia's "fecund" volcanic soil and subtropical microclimate make it extraordinarily lush, with "wisteria, angel's trumpets and bougainvillea" cascading around its "steep, single-lane" roads. There's also an impressive array of "boutique" vineyards, and spas "for every taste" – from public parks with thermal springs to "smart design hotels" such as the Mezzatorre, which opened in 2019 and has a seafront wellness centre and an outdoor salt pool "fanned by pines". Inland, the "rustic" Fonte delle Ninfe Nitrodi is thought to be the world's oldest spa, dating back to the days of Magna Graecia.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Tourism took off on Ischia in the 1950s, and producers began using it as a film location. The director Luchino Visconti hosted salons at his home here, and Burton and Taylor came here to shoot scenes for Cleopatra. But ordinary life still flourishes on the island's streets (where pensioners congregate on benches and local boys launch into spontaneous football games) – as it does on the neighbouring island of Procida, a tiny place "as pretty as a sweet shop" that has changed little since the 1960s.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Should Britain withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights?
Talking Point With calls now coming from Labour grandees as well as Nigel Farage and the Tories, departure from the ECHR 'is starting to feel inevitable'
-
5 outspoken cartoons about Epstein survivors taking center stage
Cartoons Artists take on cover-ups, Trump surrounded, and more
-
Codeword: September 6, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Rigatoni with 'no-vodka sauce' recipe
The Week Recommends Comfort food meets a clever alcohol-free twist on a classic
-
One great cookbook: 'Jam Bakes'
The Week Recommends A guide to pristine jam-making, plus the baked goods that love them
-
September's books tell of friendship in middle age, teachers versus fascists, and Covid psychosis
the week recommends September books include Angela Flournoy's 'The Wilderness,' Randi Weingarten's 'Why Fascists Fear Teachers' and Patricia Lockwood's 'Will There Ever Be Another You'
-
6 blooming homes for gardeners
Feature Featuring a greenhouse in Illinois and 13 raised garden beds in New Mexico
-
The Roses: Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star in black comedy reboot
The Week Recommends 'Acidly enjoyable' remake of the 1980s classic features a warring couple and toxic love
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and Twinless
Feature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Music reviews: Laufey, Deftones, and Earl Sweatshirt
Feature "A Matter of Time," "Private Music," and "Live Laugh Love"
-
6 products and apps to help fight jet lag
The Week Recommends Don't let travel fatigue drag you down