secret isles of italy
From the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy’s lesser known islands wait to be discovered
words by Carolyn Lyons
ischia and procida / hot springs and mini napoli
Sant’ Angelo, IschiaGreen, fertile and big enough for a small country, Ischia is unlike most Mediterranean islands, which are small, rocky and semi-barren. Five towns, great sandy beaches and 103 natural hot springs make Ischia into Spa Central. Pay an admission charge and spend all day at one of the fun outdoor spas or take spa culture seriously in a medically supervised alternative health centre, often attached to luxury hotels like 1960s-styled Albergo Regina Isabella in Lacco Ameno, where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton stayed at the height of their romance.
Hike Ischia’s steep, wooded interior to sit on the terrace at Ristorante Bracconiere looking towards the sea and eating rabbit they breed themselves; or visit Giardini La Mortella, the subtropical garden created by Lady Walton as a shrine to her husband, the English composer William Walton. And Sant’ Angelo at the far end of the island is Ischia’s ‘little Capri’ full of chic Italian sun-worshippers.
Ischia’s Regina Isabella hotel
Chaotic, exuberant, with 10,000 residents in four square kilometres, Procida is like an offshore version of Naples itself. On the bustling arrivals quay, hire a moped or pushbike from Graziella Agency, where Christine and Domenico will also give you all the insider information you need – like how to find our favourite restaurant Scarabeo hidden in a lemon grove in the centre of the island, serving fish caught that morning by the owners’ son.
There aren’t many tourist ‘sights’ as such on Procida but the whole island is a sight to see. Films from Il Postino to o The Talented Mr Ripley were shot here, y especially in picture-postcard Corricella which can only be reached on foot. Corricella’s tumble of pastel buildings around a quay crowded with blue-and-white fishing shacks make it a poster for Mediterranean life as it used to be, before tourism changed things for ever.
» Fly Sterling to Naples
Getting there: From Molo Beverello, Naples, take the SNAV ferry (www.snav.it) to Procida, 20 minutes: €13 return; and Ischia, one hour: €16
grado / the lost lagoon
The tranquil lagoon
of Grado
Everyone knows Venice lagoon, but these days the cognoscenti head for Trieste and the island of Grado, connected to the mainland by a causeway. The long, thin island has two sides – along the Adriatic, the “Island of Gold and Sun” is a modern resort with beaches, spas and wellness centres. On the other side is a medieval hamlet overlooking a tranquil lagoon.
A tall, brick Venetian campanile, complete with clock and bronze angel weather vane dominates the Basilica di S. Eufemia and the old town. Present-day Grado’s narrow streets and little piazzas overflow with bright bars and lively, welcoming trattorias.
From Grado, take a boat trip around the lagoon and its islands. Many are deserted except for migrating birds and the unique red heron; others have only tiny fishermen’s huts with tall pointy roofs. The boat lands on the Isola di Barbana whose Santuario della Madonna boasts a baroque white campanile. Every year, on the first Sunday in July, a flotilla of decorated fishing boats parades the Sanctuary’s ancient Madonna. The church is full of ex voto dedications, hand drawn pictures of accidents and illnesses showing miraculous recoveries attributed to the Madonna, including many from the Second World War when the area was badly bombed.
» Fly Sterling to Trieste
Getting there: Grado is 20 kilometres from Trieste airport with a regular bus service. Taxis around €35. Boat trips around the lagoon take 3 hours and leave from Canale della Schiusa
capraia / wildlife and diving
Diving Capraia’s
clear blue waters
They held Napoleon prisoner on Elba – not on Capraia, just 30 kilometres north, even though Capraia was a penal colony until very recently. Capraia is Elba without the history, or the crowds.
Thanks to its prison years, Capraia remains largely undeveloped and unspoiled. There are only a couple of hotels. Trails lead through almost treeless Mediterranean machia in the deserted interior. Indigenous birds and flowers thrive in their isolation; look out for the rare Corsican gull on the volcanic cliffs that rise dramatically out of the sea to the west of the island.
But Capraia’s real appeal is for divers and marine buffs. Together with the Tuscan archipelago and coast, the island is part of a huge marine national park dedicated to conservation. Home to the very rare seahorse, among numerous other species, the transparent sea is perfect for diving and you can rent the diving equipment you need from Capraia Diving Service.
» Fly Sterling to Florence
Getting there: Ferries from Livorno take 2 ½ hours, return fares €30 per person find timetables on www.traghettiservice.net
san giulio / jewel in the lake
The charming town
of Orta San Giulio
Dwarfed by its famous neighbours – Como, Lugano, Maggiore – Lago d’Orta is everything we love about the Italian lakes, only in miniature. The lake itself is so small that you can see all of it from the top of Sacro Monte behind Orta San Giulio. A pilgrims’ path leads up through the woods passing 20 small chapels, each one containing a tableaux of life-size terracotta figures illustrating the life of St Francis. As you peer through each chapel’s grill, it is as though you become part of the scene. Below you, the little island of San Giulio is so close to the shore that you can either take a water taxi or hire a boat and row yourself across.
The story goes that St Julius himself employed more spiritual transport. When he couldn’t find a boatman to take him, because snakes and dragons inhabited the island, he used his cloak as a coracle and his staff as a rudder and sailed across to banish all the reptiles.
Today, there’s a frescoed Benedictine basilica, while via del Silenzio is peppered with little signs, in four languages, offering thoughts like “if you can be yourself you are everything” and “listen to the water, the wind, your steps”. Elegant villas line the island’s shore, including the only restaurant, San Giulio.
» Fly Sterling to Milan
Getting there: From Milan Malpensa airport it’s a 45-minute drive to Orta San Giulio. Then water taxis €3 round trip or boat hire around €8 per hour
la maddalena / sardinian escape
Sardinia is where Italians go on holiday. Off the north-east tip, above the Aga Khan’s jet-set Costa Smeralda, lies the Arcipelago della Maddalena – 60 granite islands with stunning sculptural formations. Only sizeable La Maddalena is inhabited. Enjoy beaches with fine white sand, great diving, or take a day trip with Oasis Charter from Palau on their 65-foot schooner with lunch included, €100. A sunset sail on the same boat features a swim before dinner for €150. Or you could take your chances with ‘Mad Max’ (dishy guide Lucas) on his catamaran with barbeque.
Back on dry land, cross the causeway to the island of Caprera. This is hallowed ground for Italian history. Garibaldi bought Caprera in 1855 and lived there until his death in 1882. He built his own home, Casa Bianca, now open to the public. Unfortunately, he was better at nation building than house building and the place had to be reconstructed. In the courtyard is the tall pine he planted for the birth of his daughter Clelia in 1867 and in what they call “the room of death” sits Garibaldi’s glass-enclosed deathbed – more Snow White than revolutionary hero.
» Fly Sterling to Olbia, Sardinia
Getting there: From Olbia, Palau is an hour’s drive or bus ride north. Ferries run all day from Palau to La Maddalena, a 20-minute trip costing €10 return
address book
ISCHIA
L’Albergo della
Regina Isabella
Piazza Santa Restituta 1
Lacco Ameno
+39 081 994 322
www.reginaisabella.it
Ristorante Bracconiere
via Falanga 1
Serrara Fontana
+39 081 999 436
Giardini La Mortella
via F. Calise 39, Forio
+39 081 986 220
www.lamortella.it
PROCIDA
Graziella Agency
via Roma 117
+39 081 896 9594
www.isoladiprocida.it
Ristorante Scarabeo
via Salette 10
+39 081 896 9918
CAPRAIA
Capraia Diving Service
via Assunzione 100/B
+39 0586 905 137
www.capraiadiving.it
SAN GIULIO
Ristorante San Giulio
via Basilica, Orta
www.orta.net/sangiulio
LA MADDALENA
Oasis Charter
via Terralugiana 37
www.oasischarter.it
Mad Max Charter
www.madmaxcharter.it
La Maddalena Park
via Giulio Cesare 7
+39 0789 79021
www.lamaddalenapark.it
Casa Bianca
Island of Caprera
+39 0789 727162
www.compendiogaribaldino.it
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