Trekking

Piano Liguori

Vineyards and wineries between the green countryside and the blue sea

The small town of Campagnano in Ischia is perched on a hill looking out over a charming landscape where you can admire the sea, the Aragonese Castle, and the islands of Procida and Vivara. From Capagnano, you can get to the ancient rural village of Piano Liguori, facing southeast. The route is very scenic and winds through the countryside with vineyeards and orchards. Piano Liguori has a handful of houses, some inhabited, and a bar – restaurant for a refreshing break.

The Buceto spring

In the heart of a valley of wild violets and orchids

Buceto is an ancient spring which flows out into the middle of the forest, named for the bounty of its water. It can be reached by a beautiful stone stairway which starts from the Cretaio road in Fiaiano. It is a very beautiful walk, winding along shady paths, woods, broom trees and sunny plateaus with a stunning scenic view of Ischia from above. Once the top of the hill is reached, the descent begins into a protected valley where you will find extraordinary plants which thrive thanks to the great humidity of the area: wild orchids, violets and asparagus. And then, from the moss covered rocks, water springs from the heart of the Ischian soil, the Buceto spring. This spring, which flows to the end of the valley, has quenched the thirst of the Ischian people for centuries. In order to channel these waters the Pillars were built, an aqueduct from the sixteenth century, which can still be seen along the roads between Ischia and Barano.  

Epomeo

The summit of Ischia where you will get your fill of beauty

Mount Epomeo is the highest mountain of Ischia, dominating the island with its 800 meters. The route to the summit is completed by climbing an ancient mule trail, which lies between chestnut forests and “macchia mediterranea”. The last part of the journey is the most attractive because it lies between bare rock and open landscape. At the top of the summit there is a small church dedicated to Saint Nicolas, and ancient hermitage, but unfortunately it is closed to the public. There is also an excellent restaurant with clear views of both sides of the island.

The excursion to Cretaio

Old craters, botanical rarities and grand views

An outing with great geological appeal is the one which leads from the Maddalena forest to Mount Rotaro or Cretaio. A route shaded by pines, which winds among a beautiful stone stairway and a path immersed in the maquis, leads to the Cretaio area which is of great interest for volcanologists and botanical enthusiasts.

The Cretaio is a vast promontory overlooking Ischia and Casamicciola where pine trees, oak trees and myrtle shrubs form extraordinary vegetation.  Such a fertile and green area today, this was a theatre of disastrous volcanic eruption in the past. In fact, there were a stunning four volcanic mouths here called Rotaro I, II, III and IV which erupted often over the millennia. And the last volcanic eruption of the Isle of Ischia came from precisely one of these mouths in the early 1300s. During the excursion you will reach a perfectly round, tree covered valley: this is the ancient "Fondo d'Oglio" crater, about 350 m in diameter and 127 m deep. In medieval times the bodies of plague victims were thrown here. Inside the crater a rare plant can be admired: the horse tooth, close relative of the papyrus, which generally thrives in tropical and sub tropical zones as well as the Pteris longifolia, a beautiful warm climate fern, which is just as rare.