Lacco Ameno

From excavations along the Montevico hill, on the San Montano beach and in other areas of the Municipal territory, so many traces and archaeological finds have emerged that a museum has been filled (the Archaeological Museum of Pithecusae in Villa Arbusto) as well as a few halls in the Naples Archaeological Museum.

The Greek civilization landed here at Lacco Ameno and brought with it the wine culture, crafts and naval commerce. An enormous wealth of knowledge was passed on to the indigenous population which soon, thanks to marriages and illegitimate unions, mixed completely with those pioneers from the east. And from that time Lacco Ameno never ceased to be somewhat the forge of Ischian arts, but also of tourism, perhaps thanks to the running in period 2800 years ago with those people who came from far away.

And it was once again Lacco Ameno, in the nineteen fifties, which was the first of the island communities to delve into the tourism trade in a modern key: large hotels were built here, capable of hosting celebrities in the world of cinema and world wide high society. The patron of this opening up to the international jet set was Milanese editor Angelo Rizzoli, who opened the territory up to a new way of understanding tourist hospitality and thermalism. Liz Taylor, Richard Burton, Maria Callas and Charlie Chaplin spent their holidays in Lacco Ameno, just as the divas of our times who prefer all of these small towns overlooking the sea now do, where the summers are cooler and the atmosphere is always a bit radical chic.

The inhabitants of Lacco Ameno are accustomed to seeing actors and directors, industrial tycoons and politicians strolling along the streets of the city centre, not to mention Arab princesses and famous models who find privacy and relaxation here along with that simple, but elegant atmosphere which has always characterised the most prestigious holiday spots in the world.