During my summer holiday I left with a quick departure to the green island of Ischia. This volcanic island is situated on the Gulf of Naples. As you may know the area, like many other famous areas in Italy, is full of sights. I decided to see the island itself, Naples and nearby island Capri. I had already visited Pompeii and Sorrento years ago. It was nine years since I’d been in Italy. A lot of things had changed, but most things had not. Italians are happy folk. Unlike the French they correct your speech in a very nice way. First they naturally tell you how well you speak Italian and then they show you how you should have expressed yourself. One former guide told me it is truly sign that they respect your skills, when they start to correct you. If your in very basic level, they just smile sweetly to your blunder.

Girls staying in my hotel asked me how did I dare to come to Italy alone. I was little a bit of amazed, because I’ve never thought Italy a scary place to go. Maybe it is because I visited it so young and because I know how to handle Italians - especially men. Most of the travellers were in fact female friends. Yet there was a single male staying in the island for two weeks and he was not of sentimental type.

The island of Iscia is volcanic island (unlike its neighbour Capri). They may tell you that Monte Epomeo, the highest peak of the island is volcano. It really isn’t although it was created by volcanicactivity, which raised it from the sea-bed. It is really a thing Germans call ”holst”. One of the most visible crater is in fact the port of the Ischia Porto (meaning the Port of Ischia). The island is famous of its volcanic waters and the natural spas they enable. There have not been any eruptions in last 700 years and even the quakes that used to make living hard on the island in the roman times have turned mild. Yet the scientist say, the volcano is alive, if maybe sleeping.

If you are interested in history, you may be happy to know that Ischia is in fact one of the oldest Creek colonies in the western Mediterranean and that there was Greek inhabitants in the island already 700 B.C.E. Due to raised seabed of mt. Epomeo the island has plenty of clay fit to making ceramic, unlike the usual volcanic islands. Still today it has significant ceramic industry in the style better connected to Portugal or Spain than Italy. The most significant feature are colourful ceramic tiles that can be seen as a decoration everywhere that resemble their Portuguese cousins. Even a local bank had its sign made of dalle.