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

Eighteen hours after we left our house in Atlanta – airplane to Rome, train from Rome to Naples, and then ferry from Naples to Forio – we arrived in Forio, Ischia.  Ischia an island is just north of the island of Capri and is often overshadowed by its southernly neighbor.  In doing research for this trip, I had heard a lot about Capri and wanted to go there – beautiful mountains and coast, breathtakingly blue sea… and throngs of tourists.  Research told me that Ischia was just as beautiful plus it has fewer tourists and – wait for it – thermal hot springs spas.  Um, hello!  Did someone just say “first week of vacation?”  Boom!  Decision made.

Ischia has a rich and storied history.  It was the first and the northernmost Greek settlement in the West.  After the Greeks, the island was part of the Roman Empire.  In fact, there is a thermal hot springs on the western side of the island that was used as a Roman spa and has been in continuous use for 2,600 years.  Just to put things in perspective, the US has been a country for 240 years.  Um, yeah.

When we debarked the ferry in Ischia at 2:30 pm, it was clearly time to stop for lunch for 3 reasons.  One, it was time for lunch.  Two, we hadn’t really eaten in 12 hours.  Three, after being in transport for 18 hours, we just need to stop moving and breath.  And that we did.  As we sat down for lunch on the patio of a harbor-side restaurant, we looked around and Chad said, “Well, this doesn’t suck.”  Clear blue Mediterranean, steep green mountains, brightly painted buildings, Vespas, colorful flowers, and good food and wine.  I could stay here for a while…

After 18 hours of travel, this relaxing seafood lunch was wonderful

Four generations ago, Chad’s maternal great-grandparents emigrated from Italy to the U.S.  One couple came from a small hilltop town east of Rome, and the other couple came from a small village in the interior of the island of Sicily.  They emigrated to Cranford, New Jersey, where many other families had emigrated, and they became part of the Italian community there.  The Capodice family had a son who married a Barardinelli daughter, and they in turn had 3 children – Fran (Chad’s mom), Connie, and Jimmy.

Our 2016 Italy sabbatical is a trip to explore Chad’s Italian heritage.  There is a grand family reunion planned for the last week of August in Monteferrante, that small hilltop town east of Rome.  We will be meeting up with Chad’s parents (Fran and Jim), Aunt Connie, Chad’s sister Michele, and our friend Simon in Monteferrante for about a week.  There are still relatives in the town, and, I’ve been told, we will indeed be treated like family.  We also plan to spend some time in Sicily getting to know the island and its culture.

Now, Chad and I have a rule that we never to go Europe for less than 3 weeks.  For one thing, the cost of airfare alone justifies a longer trip.  For another, Europe is awesome, so why cut it short when you’ve suffered through the 9-hour plane ride to get here?  And as long as you’re asking for 3 weeks off from work, why not just go for it and ask for five?

Having said that, of course we are seeing more than the ancestral stomping grounds on this trip.  Chad and I are starting on the island of Ischia for a beach vacation.  Between Monteferrante and Sicily, we will spend some time in Naples.  And after Sicily we will spend a few days in Rome before heading back to Atlanta.

So here’s to safe travels, cultural adventures, memorable meals, and new friends.