Forget Capri – This Neighbouring Island Is Even Better

The Amalfi Coast is so busy it’s barely visitable in peak months. Capri? Beautiful, but exhausting. But there’s a hidden gem just across the Gulf of Naples that offers the beauty, culture, and most importantly, the irresistible food of the Campania region, with everything Capri has to offer (and more). Rebecca Cox arrives in Ischia (by Pardo yacht, of course). 

Is This The New Capri?

Capri is flashy, overdone and unapologetically overcrowded; but it would be dishonest to say it doesn’t have wow factor. The question, increasingly, is whether that wow factor can even be glimpsed – let alone felt – in the peak months, and what the impact of overtourism on the 7,000 permanent residents of the island (that can receive up to 50,000 visitors a day) is. Ischia, 25 nautical miles to the north-west – and home to a much more robust population of 60,000 – is where Italians actually go on holiday. Here’s why.

The seawater pool at Hotel San Montano (c) Rebecca Cox

Welcome To Ischia

Alighting from the San Montano yacht at Lacco Ameno port, a small crowd of locals stands opposite a handful of fishermen, separated by a thin white table. They reach into plastic bags filled with the morning’s catch, comparing hauls and haggling over prices. Nobody is taking a selfie. 

Once I’m settled in I seek out the best person to ask about the differences between Capri and Ischia. ‘[They] are like two beautiful girls,’ Marianna Polverino, guest experience manager at San Montano (who starts most of her sentences with ‘mamma mia!’ and is the most persuasive advocate for her island you will ever meet) tells me. ‘Capri has had a lot of Botox. Ischia is natural.’ She pauses – perhaps guessing, accurately, that I have had a bit of Botox myself – ‘Here, maybe you can be more yourself. Nobody is judging you. You feel more relaxed.’ And since we’re having the conversation while taking a leisurely hike in the stunning cliff trails of the volcanic island, relaxed is right. Here, there is space to breathe.

‘Nobody is taking a selfie.’ Enjoying my pool suite at San Montano.

Ischia may be the last island in this corner of the Mediterranean that still combines genuinely breathtaking scenery with something that resembles real life. Its six towns, each with its own mayor, its own church and its own patron saint – a situation the islanders have stubbornly refused to simplify even when put to referendum – remain defiantly independent. Unlike limestone Capri, Ischia is volcanic. Its 47 sqkm have been shaped by millennia of eruptions, and that geology gives the island a richness that no amount of designer boutiques can rustle up. Hot springs emerge from the rock at seemingly random intervals; at Sorgeto Bay the sand reaches 100°C – hot enough to bury raw food in and find it cooked when you return from your swim. The mountain at the island’s centre, Monte Epomeo, rises to 788 metres and is laced with ancient hiking trails through volcanic tufa, lichen-covered rock and terraced vineyards. The wine those vineyards produce – above all the Biancolella, a crisp, mineral white found nowhere else in quite the same form – has been made here since the Greeks brought the first vines in the 8th century BC. 

What Does Ischia Have That Capri Doesn’t?

‘I love Capri too,’ Marianna tells me, leading us uphill through the green volcanic tufa towards the summit of Epomeo. ‘But we should learn a lot from their marketing!’ The list of things Ischia has that Capri doesn’t, she points out, is considerably longer than the reverse. Capri doesn’t have thermal waters, sandy beaches, a lush volcanic landscape, sprawling hiking trails, or 100°C sand. Capri doesn’t have a winemaking tradition going back to the Greeks. And Capri, most pointedly, doesn’t have prices kept low by a reliance on local business. 

One of the many pools at San Montano

Where To Stay In Ischia

My base in Ischia is San Montano, perched above Lacco Ameno and overlooking the bay of the same name below. A five-star family-run resort, the sprawling property is currently undergoing a full renovation of its rooms and suites under – the incredibly charming – manager Francesco De Siano, whose family have been a part of the fabric of the island for many decades, owning and running a handful of hotels across the region.

There is a strong sense of community here; each member of staff seems to have a link (however tenuous) to the De Siano family and firm roots in the island itself, and guests are welcomed like visitors to a family home. The multiple pools across the hotel grounds draw directly on the island’s volcanic springs for their famous thermal waters, and these alone are worth the visit. But there’s also a private beach club and tennis court accessible by free transfer, enormous on-site orchard of lemon trees and other botanical wonders, thermal spa and sea-view gym to enjoy. Book into one of the hotel’s new duplex pool suites overlooking the San Montano Bay with your very own slice of infinity pool for the ultimate escape (within the ultimate island escape that is Ischia). 

The resort’s newly launched Lighthouse Suite sits at the top of the property, with views across the island and the Bay of Naples, and was designed by local architects Rino Gambardella and Claudio Pulicati. It blends contemporary Mediterranean style with Neapolitan character through features like a glass-walled Winter Garden, a private plunge pool, and one guest room set in a restored 1940s military warehouse with sea-facing porthole windows. Here, a stay will set you back £4,162 per night on a bed and breakfast basis with a three-night minimum, including return transfers to Naples in the hotel’s Pardo speedboat and a private wine tasting.

Hotel San Montano Lighthouse Suite

The view from Eden Beach Club, Ischia (c) Rebecca Cox

Island Hotspots

One does not visit this region of Italy and forgo the glamour entirely, and there’s no need to here. No, you won’t find the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Dior boutiques that line Via Camerelle and Via Vittorio Emanuele in Capri, but there are plenty of opportunities for indulgence too. There are a handful of chic resort boutiques stocking the big names if shopping is your bag, but here luxury is found in the experience.

San Montano’s bar is the obvious starting point for a sundowner, with their moreish barsnacks (think ricotta stuffed zucchini flowers), spritzes and stunning sunset views. Eden Beach Club is also a splash of luxury on the island’s rugged terrain, a sleek luxury beach club near Ischia Ponte, reachable by boat taxi and delivering the full Amalfi Coast beach-club experience – daybeds, excellent food and wine, crystalline water – without the posers. There’s even a private island in the middle that you can rent out for total privacy. Sant’Angelo, the car-free village in the island’s south, is best reached by boat and worth the trip for its stunning isthmus, upscale boutiques carved into the face of the cliff, pastel-hued facades and the best pistachio ice cream on the island. 

Island Hideaways

Ischia is where celebrities come on holiday when they don’t want to be bothered, so even at the hotspots above, you won’t be. But for those who want to disappear into the island’s natural wonders entirely, the trails around Monte Epomeo are extraordinary. La Mortella, in Forio on the island’s western shore, is essential for nature-lovers, too. The garden was created by Lady Susana Walton to honour her husband, Sir William Walton, who fell in love with Ischia and never left. Walton composed some of his most celebrated work here; Susana created the gardens that would become his monument. King Charles has long been linked to La Mortella through his patronage of the William Walton Foundation, which provides free music tutoring to young people on the island, and he also visited the gardens as the Prince of Wales. Book ahead and allow a full morning.

La Mortella (c) Rebecca Cox

What’s the Secret Ingredient?

Ischia has, so far, managed the balance the Amalfi Coast has all but lost: enough beauty to draw visitors, enough authenticity to hold them, and not yet quite enough fame to have ruined either. The magic here though, comes as much from the people as from the place. Everyone on the island seems to know everyone else, every family is vaguely connected. Visitors are – for now – treated as guests, not pests. After a few days with Marianna and her friends trying to articulate how I feel about the scenery, the people, the food, I find there is nothing to put it better than my host’s catchphrase: ‘Mamma mia, this is good, no?’. 

C&TH Keynotes: San Montano Resort & Spa

• The room to book: infinity pool suite/ 
• The experience: a guided tour with Marianna, her joy and enthusiasm is infectious.
• The sundowner: a spritz at the San Montano bar, looking out over the bay. 
• Don’t miss: La Mortella botanical gardens in Forio – two hours minimum, more if you can manage it.
• Local dish: rabbit. But veggies will be happy with bruschetta, pizza and pasta for every meal. 
• When to visit: even hidden gems get busy in Italy. Avoid July and August and stick to April, May and September for more space to roam. La Festa di San Martino a Ischia on 11 November is also a great time to live like a local; the island celebrates its wine harvest and the weather, even in late autumn, tends to cooperate.
• Take home: some of the island’s stunning handmade pottery, or a fruit liqueur from famous producer Figaro.

Sant’Angelo (c) Rebecca Cox

The Last Word

Completely and utterly charming; Ischia’s San Montano, and the island at large, is a must-visit if you want all the beauty of the Campania region without the crowds – or the prices. 

BOOK

San Montano Resort & Spa, Lacco Ameno, Ischia, Italy | Rooms from €345 (£289) for a comfort garden view room | sanmontano.com