Sunrise in Ischia Ponte

From the very beginning of my stay on the island, the idea of meeting the sunrise on the seashore did not leave me, but it still did not work out - the sky was overcast, then a strong wind, then I overslept...On the last day, an inner voice woke me up at five-thirty in the morning. Looking out of the window, I saw a clear sky, which was just beginning to lighten, and judging by the foliage of the trees, it was calm. So I quickly got dressed and hurried to Cape Molino, which offers the best views of the Aragonese Castle and the beaches of Ischia Ponte.

First of all, I aimed the lens to the northeast , where the sun's disk is about to appear over the horizon. The horizon at the place of sunrise covers the island of Procida.

But the first rays of the sun are already shining on the upper part of the castle, where the Monastero di S. Maria della Consolazione is located, founded in 1575 by Beatrice Quadra, the widow of the governor of the island of d'Avalos. Now part of the monastery's premises is occupied by the exclusive Il Monasterio hotel, by the way, not too expensive. Exclusivity consists in the possibility to walk along the terraces and alleys in the evening and at night, when the castle is closed to tourists.

Looking up, I saw two six-hour ferries going from Ischia to Naples. Flights to the island are operated by rival companies Caremar and Medmar, and their ships depart at approximately the same time, but usually one goes directly to Naples, the other calls at Procida Island.

Finally, a bright segment of the celestial body appeared above the highest part of the island.

The sun's disk was already halfway out, and a crimson path stretched across the sea from it.

Finally, the sun came out completely, the colors of the sky became brighter, and the path on the water took on a golden hue.

Now you can take a look at the shore of Ischia Ponte. To the right of the castle, you can see the bell tower and dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria dell’Assunta.

Closer you can see the hotels along the beach of San Antonio.

And I'm standing on the gray sand of Spaggia dei Pescatori, which can be translated as "Fish Bank". There are many fishing boats on the beach: in winter and early spring, there are few tourists on the island, so seafood is not in great demand in the few fish restaurants. But now it is the beginning of April and in the afternoon the owners prepare the boats for the summer season, paint, caulk and launch them. There's no one here this early, of course.

Along the beach, fishermen's houses stretch out, nothing resembling the shacks known from Neapolitan stories. In such houses you can rent a room, some of them have light summer "penthouses" on the roof, where a spiral staircase leads directly from the beach. The houses in Spaggia dei Pescatori have relatively high prices, as they offer stunning views.

If you look to the left, you will see Cape Molineau. Behind it, Ischia Porto begins and up to the port itself, the coast is built up with 4-5 star hotels, there are also the best beaches.

Meanwhile, as the sun rose higher, it was going to be a good day.

Today I had big plans for" conquering " Monte Epomeo and driving through the surrounding villages, so I headed back to the hotel, had to have an early breakfast and go to the village of Fontana.

Corso Vittoria Colonna, the main shopping and dining street of Ischia Porto, is crowded until late at night.

But at seven o'clock in the morning, the street was completely deserted, for the whole walk I did not meet a soul, I did not even see cats, of which there are a great many.

Right in front of my hotel is the church of San Pietro. Unfortunately, for 5 days I did not choose the time to look at it, and when I got ready on the last day, it was closed.