The island of Ischia has just a few towns.  Forio is a beach town on the western side, and it wraps along the coast with sandy beaches and small harbors and then it climbs up the hillside with steep, narrow roads and beautiful views of the sea.  Every building seems to have a roof-top deck or a patio, giving great views of the Mediterranean during the day, culminating in a beautiful sunset in the evening.   

The Forio Old Town is nestled on the coast at the bottom of the mountains

Forio harbor where we debarked from the ferry

We’re staying on a property called Villa Ravino which is located halfway up the mountain.  More on the property later.  What you need to know now is that it takes us about 15 minutes to walk down the hill to the old town which has quaint little streets, brightly colored buildings, little plazas, cafes, and shops. 

Walking into town from our little apartment

An interesting facade in the Old Town

Sidewalk display of fruits and vegetables in front of a little grocery store

A pretty storefront for a shop that sells typical products of Ischia

There is certainly good people-watching and several languages being spoken.  Being that it’s August, it is “vacation month” in much of Europe.  We’ve heard German, French, British English, American English, and maybe some eastern European.

I mentioned this is a beach town.  I had this preconceived notion of Italian women and men dressing to the nines to walk around town and then also for dinner.  Nope.  Swimsuits are everywhere.  Did I mention that it’s a beach town?  Usually there is some sort of cover-up but every once in a while I’m all, “Well, there’s a dude in a speedo walking down the street.”  Sometimes it feels like a Florida beach town – cover-ups and wedge flip-flops. 

One of the many beaches around Forio

The most Italian part, though, is the “outdoor living room” culture.  Sitting in cafes and watching people go by.  Walking up and down the beach, ankle deep in the water, chatting with your mom or your BFF, instead of swimming.  Strolling around town and stopping to say hi to people that you know along the way.  

In the evening, there is La Passagiata:  The Italian practice of strolling down the street with a purpose but with no specific destination, getting to the end of the street, and turning around to go back.  This is an art form that Italians have perfected.  Instead of going to bars or sitting at home on their rear ends watching television in the evening, Italians use the evening as a time to socialize, stroll and talk to their friends, bump into their neighbors, get some exercise, and pass the time.  Every night in Forio there is the Passagiata.  For foreigners it can be daunting, but for me, I smiled and went with the flow…

The evening passagiata

Our walk home at night

Taking a break on the way home