Ischia

Ischia is the largest island in the Bay of Naples at about forty-six square kilometres, volcanic, with Monte Epomeo rising to seven hundred and eighty-nine metres in the middle and hot springs across it; thermal parks with dozens of pools at different temperatures are the island's main business, along with vineyards on terraced slopes. The Aragonese castle stands on a separate rocky islet linked by a causeway built in 1441, holding a fortress, churches and a convent where nuns' bodies were once left seated on stone drains. The port itself occupies a former volcanic crater opened to the sea in 1854.

What you actually see

• The Aragonese castle - a fortress islet linked by a fifteenth-century causeway.
• The thermal parks - terraced gardens of pools at graded temperatures.
• Monte Epomeo - a 789-metre summit walk with island-wide views.
• The crater port - a harbour cut into a volcanic crater in 1854.

When to go

May to October; the thermal parks close in winter, roughly November to March. August is crowded and expensive. Spring and autumn suit walking Epomeo.

Honest expectations

Thermal parks close for the winter months. Ferries are cancelled in rough seas. The island is hilly with slow bus services and difficult driving.

Nearby

Procida lies east; Naples is across the bay.