Women, men, old people and children, the Greek colonists from Euboea who in the 8th century BC. they founded Pithecusa
Artists and merchants, winemakers and breeders, refined craftsmen who brought with them the art of ceramic manufacturing and a precious load of knowledge: among all, alphabetic writing.
The symbol of that remote era is the extraordinary archaeological discovery from the necropolis of Pithecusae, the Cup of Nestor. The oldest Greek-language document in the world testifies to the dawn of European civilization.
The surprise of the Euboean colonists was great when they discovered that the island had springs of boiling water (today Ischia is the largest spa center in Europe) that flowed underwater, in caves that descended from the top of the volcano mountain that they had named Epomeo .
The geological history of the island and its physiognomy recall very violent events that have determined a very varied profile: in a few km from sea level you pass to the almost 800 meters of Mount Epomeo.
In spring the island is colored with the flowers and green plants of the Mediterranean scrub.
Thus the broom, myrtle, heather, mastic and laurel, but also the oaks, centuries-old pines, ash trees and hawthorns, are ready to receive visits from guests such as the gray heron, swallows, quails, robins and other migratory birds that cross the terraces delimited by walls that host vineyards, orchards, citrus groves and well-kept vegetable gardens.
A kaleidoscope of colors covers the undergrowth with wild orchids, violets and anemones which can be found in the Cretaio, the Maddalena forest and the Fondo d’Oglio, an oasis for naturalists.
Rosemary, wild oregano, lavender, thyme and sage perfume the air of Ischia from the coasts of Campagnano and Piano Liguori to Punta Imperatore and Punta Zaro, flying over the spectacular vitality of Falanga, a biological Eden where mosses and lichens take root , the fumarole papyrus and the ferns, some of which are very rare such as the “Woodwardia radicans” or even unique species that do not exist anywhere else in the world such as the Limonim Inarimense Guss, a typical species of maritime rocks and cliffs.
The coasts, 37 km long, with inlets with blue-green waters, sheer sections and beaches, are corners of paradise where sea water mixes with the warm water of the mineral springs that bubble up a few steps from the shoreline.
Those who immerse themselves in the “Kingdom of Neptune” discover a true “Eden of hydrospace” made up of immersed cliffs and boundless shallows, Posidonia oceanica meadows and rocky sites populated by rare organisms and endemic species.
This is Ischia, an extraordinary laboratory of landscape inventions and natural resources!
