Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 081 99 16 86; Via Luigi Mazzella 32, Ischia Ponte; meals €25; noon-3.30pm & 7.30-11.30pm,
closed Tue Dec-Feb)
Solid seafood and charming host Carlo make this atmospheric place a
winner. Highlights include
tubattone
pasta with mussels and
pecorino
cheese, a zesty
mussel soup topped with fried bread and
peperoncino
(chilli), and a delicious chocolate
and almond cake. Tables spill out onto the pavement in the summer, from where there's a
gorgeous castle view.
WORTH A TRIP
IL FOCOLARE: A SLOW FOOD WONDER
Tucked away in the hills above Casamicciola Terme is one restaurant verified foodies cannot afford to
miss -
Il Focolare
( 081 90 29 44; Via Creajo al Crocefisso, Barano d'Ischia; meals €30;
12.30-2.45pm Fri-Sun, 7.30-11.45pm, closed Wed Nov-May) .
Forget
spaghetti alle vongole
(spaghetti with clams) - this proud Slow Food stalwart celebrates all
things turf. Indeed, it's one of the best spots to savour the island's legendary
coniglio all'Ischitana
(a
claypot-cooked local rabbit with garlic, onion, tomatoes, wild thyme and white wine), a dish that
needs to be booked two days in advance.
If you haven't pre-ordered the rabbit, don't fret - the daily menu brims with beautiful, seasonal
dishes, from
tagliatelle al ragù di cinghiale
(ribbon-shaped pasta with wild boar ragout) to a sublime
antipasto misto,
where you might get anything from
rotolino di zucchini
(fried, bread-crumbed zuc-
chini filled with buffalo mozzarella) to
terrina di parmigiano tartufata con i funghi
(think porcini-
mushroom crème brûlée).
To get here, catch bus 16 from Piazza Marina in Casamicciola Terme and ask the driver to let you
off at the restaurant (it's the last stop). During the summer high season, the last bus back to town de-
parts at around 12.50am.
Information
Ischia online
(
www.ischiaonline.it
)
Good all-round website including sights, restaurants and
hotels.
Tourist office
(
www.infoischiaprocida.it
; Via Sogliuzzo 72;
9am-2pm & 3-8pm Mon-Sat, plus
9am-1pm Sun Jul-Sep)
Getting There & Away
Regular hydrofoils and ferries run to/from Naples. You can also catch hydrofoils direct to
Capri (€18) and Procida (€8.20).
Getting Around
