La Dolce Vita - Ischia Part II

Hello blog-friends,

as promised, here comes the second part of our Ischia travel story plus traveling tips. :)

Accomodation in Ischia

To find accomodation in Ischia shouldn't be that difficult. The island is very well prepared for tourists and there are many hotels. David and I booked over airbnb and are really lucky we did, because we found the lovliest Bed and Breakfast and that for a reasonable price. The B&B La Cycas di Giannina lies between Ischia Porto and Casamicciola Terme along the old road on the hill (we had the best view over the sea from our room) and our host Isabella was very caring and helpful. She answered all our questions with patience and gave us many great tips for the island but most importantly she made the best breakfast which filled us well into to the afternoon every day (She is my personal Queen of Cakes! ;) ). Another advantage is that the B&B is close to the port in Ischia Porto. Most probably you'll arrive via ferry from Naples or Sorrento (unless you can afford to get there via helicopter which might be an alternative as well ;) ) and probably won't like to drive for another 30 minutes to an hour to get to your final destination.

The view from our room

Transport

As Ischia is bigger than you probably expect you should think about transportation on the island in advance. Of course it's possible to rent a car (if you do, make sure it's a small one - the streets are narrow) but personally I think the more authentic way to travel the island would be with a motor scooter. As unfortunately neither David nor I are able to drive a scooter we used the public transport system with busses and that worked quite fine. There are a number of busses which take you all around the island and I totally recommend a drive with the CD or CS busses which go all the way up to Serrara Fontana (from there you can walk up the Epomeo as well) and travel the small Ischian mountain villages. The view up there is gorgeous and you'll almost feel a little adventurous as you'll always be wondering if the bus hits the next oncoming car on the narrow mountain road... But no worries! The Ischian bus drivers really know their craft, so this is extremely unlikely to happen. ;)

Waiting at the main bus station in Ischia Porto

Food

Concerning food, I don't even know where to start with my storm of enthusiasm. I'm totally in love with the South Italian cuisine! Actually I think I want to marry it and get some beautiful pasta babies...
Most of the Ischian restaurants offer a great variety of pizza and pasta and of course seafood (Spaghetti alle Vongole! Yummy!), but one major Ischian classic is the Coniglia all' Ischitana (Ischian rabbit), which you totally shouldn't miss in case you eat meat. And of course you'll have to eat Pizza Margaritha which got allegedly invented in Napoli, preferably with the wonderful mozzarella di buffala. Furthermore I can also really recommend the great variety of sweet delights that are offered: of course you get wonderful ice cream but in my opinion even greater are the Neapolitan pastries. I fall especially for the sfolgliatelle ricce, a kind of Danish pastry with a ricotta and lemon filling. Mhmmmm... Our new French friends Antoine (Tom) and Antoine also highly recommended the caffè del nonno, which is a kind of coffee frappé.     
Now, after I've hopefully whet your appetite, you probably want to know where you can get als these beautiful dainties. ;)

Good restaurants/bars:

• Le Ventarole: There I had really good Bruschetta and (really good) Buccatini con coniglio all'Ischitana.
• Pane & Vino in Via Porto in Ischia Porto and is a really good fish restaurant and is right beside the sea.
• Cocó is directly on the bridge which connects Ischia Ponte and the Castello Aragonese and offers really good pasta and seafood dishes. There you can also get the Caffè del Nuno
• At Da Ciccio in Ischia Porto you'll get really good pastries and ice cream.

Bruschetta

Bucatini con coniglio all'Ischitana

Neapolitan Pastries

Shopping

What I totally liked about Ischia in terms of clothes shopping was the fact that you hardly find branches of international brands but mostly small boutiques which reflect the personal taste of their owners in some ways. I didn't shop around the whole island but my favourite store in Ischia Porto was called Annasofia at Via Alfreddo de Lucca, where you can find many beautiful dresses and handbags and accessories (I helped myself to a beautiful white dress and some earrings). Furthermore I can recommend the Grifo Girl store near and the Silvian Heach shop on Via Roma. In addition there is one local brand called La Caprese Più which you will find all around the island and offers really beautiful clothes. However, I would only enter one of their branches if you calculated a generous shopping budget.
If you are a book lover you should definitely enter the Libreria Imagaenaria in Ischia Ponte, where you can also get really beautiful vintage postcards from the early 20th century.   

Have a great day everybody!

Yours,
Tulip