Ischia Ferry

Ischia Guide

Ischia Ferry Port

The first thing one notices when sailing into the small bay of Ischia is the hulking mass of hills that overshadow the peculiar jumble of architecture spread along the coast. These hills, a consequence of the island’s volcanic formation, are carpeted in the rich greens of a thriving Mediterranean forest, complete with thick shrubs and the gnarled boughs of oak trees. Narrow streets leading from the centre of Ischia climb on switchbacks across the slopes, every turn edged by multi-hued wildlife. The town itself, found by the north-eastern corner of its eponymous island, is a merging of two areas called Ischia Porto and Ischia Ponte; both with distinctive personalities. Ischia Ponte is where most of the old-town can be found. Here a labyrinth of lanes weave between quaint, pastel-coloured villas as they follow the paths once trod by the people of a distant past. The imposing citadel of Castello Aragonese, perched atop a rocky atoll just off the coast, is the most famous of the district’s historic sights. The thick mass of medieval towers and turrets sit so high they risk scratching the Italian sky, while the circle of sheer-faced walls still look as impenetrable today as they proved to be in the past. The ferry port, unsurprisingly, can be found in the area of Ischia Porto. It sits along the northern banks of the bowl-shaped bay, on a curving spit of land that gradually tapers into a breakwater. Only a few passenger facilities can be found here, including a compact car-park and a couple of canvas-topped cafes selling drinks and snacks. Though much of Ischia is hewn by steep mountains, travelling to and from the port is relatively simple due to the SP270 motorway that runs in a circle around the island. One of the best ways to traverse Ischia is by catching one of the red and white buses that whisk passengers to most corners of the region, including to the sprawling town of Forio on the opposite coast. A fleet of micro-taxis also operate along these routes from stops downtown. A number of ferry routes currently leave from the port throughout the week. Services hosted by Medmar and Alilauro lines all sail east into the Gulf of Naples off the western coast of Italy. Alilauro lines travel to the island of Capri and the mainland ports of Sorrento and Naples. Medmar ferries travel to Naples too, as well as offering routes to the nearby Procida island and the town of Pozzuoli.