Sights in Bay Of Naples
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Giardini di Augusto
The colourful Giardini di Augusto was founded by the Emperor Augustus. The view from the gardens is breathtaking, looking over to the Isole Faraglioni, three limestone pinnacles that rise vertically out of the sea.
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Giardini di Augusto
Get away from the Capri crowds by heading southwest from the Certosa di San Giacomo monastery where, at the end of Via G Matteotti, you'll come across the unexpected green oasis of the colourful Giardini di Augusto. Founded by the Emperor Augustus, you should spend a few minutes contemplating the breathtaking view from here: gaze ahead to the Isole Faraglioni and the three dramatic limestone pinnacles that rise vertically out of the sea.
Measuring 109m, 81m and 104m respectively, the pinnacles are home to a rare blue lizard that was once thought to be unique to the Faraglioni but has since been found on the Sicilian coast. While a picture of the lizards from here is…
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Museo Archeologico di Pithecusae
Housed in the elegant Villa Arbusto, former home of local celeb Angelo Rizzoli, the Museo Archeologico di Pithecusae enjoys a heady historical location, overlooking Monte Vico, site of the ancient settlement and acropolis of Pithecusae. The museum has a fascinating collection of important finds from the island’s Hellenic settlement, ranging from imported earthenware to parts of the acropolis itself.
A highlight is the legendary 7th-century BC Nestor’s Cup in Sala (Room) II bearing one of the oldest known Greek inscriptions, which appropriately celebrates the wine of Ischia. The space also encompasses the Museo Angelo Rizzoli.
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Area Archeologica di Santa Restituta
Beneath the pretty-in-pink Chiesa di Santa Restituta church, rebuilt after the 1883 earthquake, be sure to visit the Area Archeologica. Excavations undertaken between 1951 and 1974 have uncovered parts of an ancient Greek kiln, Roman temple and street, 4th-century burial amphorae and an early Christian basilica. Rows of cabinets display other ancient objects, from Roman bracelets and votive gifts to a 3300-year-old stove from Procida.
The ground-floor collection goes back to the future, with exquisite 17th-century pastori (nativity scene figurines), colourful 18th-century ceramics, high camp clerical garb and the 18th-century wooden statue of Santa Restituta still used…
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Il Sorgeto
From the pier, brightly painted water taxis reach some of the island's best beaches, including the intimate cove of Il Sorgeto, with its steamy thermal spring. Sorgeto can also be reached on foot down a poorly signposted path from the village of Panza.
A world away from north-coast crowds, tiny Sant'Angelo is the most chic spot on the island. Quiet laneways spill down the hill, flanked by chic boutiques, galleries, frangipani and sunning cats. At the bottom on Piazetta Ottorino Troia, tanned Italians sip Campari soda and take in late-night summer music concerts. Keeping an eye on it all is the great hulking scoglio (rock), joined to the village by a long sandbar sprinkled…
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Villa San Michele di Axel Munthe
The former home of self-aggrandising Swedish doctor Axel Munthe, San Michele di Axel Munthe should be included on every visitor’s itinerary. Built on the site of the ruins of a Roman villa, the gardens make a beautiful setting for a tranquil stroll, with pathways flanked by immaculate flowerbeds. There are also superb views from here, plus some fine photo props in the form of Roman sculptures.
If you are here between July and September, you may be able to catch one of the classical concerts that take place in the gardens. Check the Axel Munthe Foundation website for the current program and reservation information.
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Negombo
This is the place to come for a dose of pampering. Part spa resort, part botanical wonderland, with more than 500 exotic plant species, the Negombo’s combination of Zen-like thermal pools, hammam, contemporary sculpture and private beach on San Montano Bay tends to draw a younger crowd than many other Ischian spa spots.
There’s a Japanese labyrinth pool for weary feet, a decent tavola calda (snack bar), and a full range of massage and beauty treatments. Those arriving by car or scooter can park all day on site (car €4, scooter €2.50). For a free dip in the bay, follow the signs to the spiaggia (beach) out the front of Negombo.
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Villa Jovis
East of the town centre, a comfortable 2km walk along Via Tiberio, Villa Jovis is sure to capture your imagination. Standing 354m above sea level, this was the largest and most sumptuous of the island’s 12 Roman villas and was Tiberius’ main Capri residence. Although reduced to ruins, wandering around will give you a good idea of the scale on which Tiberius liked to live.
This vast pleasure complex famously pandered to the emperor’s saucy desires, and included imperial quarters and extensive bathing areas set in dense gardens and woodland.
Spectacular but hardly practical, the villa’s location posed major headaches for Tiberius’ architects. The main problem was how…
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Giardini Pubblici
On Corso Vittoria Colonna, past Via F D'Avalos, emerald-green gates on the left lead into the lush Giardini Pubblici. Head further east and you'll hit the heart-stealing Spiaggia dei Pescatori (Fishermen's Beach), a technicolour spectacle of brightly painted fishing boats, bronzed flesh, lurid beach umbrellas and mothers on balconies calling in their chubby kids for lunch.
From here, Corso Vittoria Colonna becomes Via Pontano, ending at Via Seminario. Recently pedestrianised, Via Seminario is Ischia Ponte's prime passeggiata (stroll) strip, attracting the occasional film shoot.
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La Colombaia
One of the joys of coming here are the untamed rural surroundings; there’s also a tangible, lived-in feel about La Colombaia, a handsome neo-Renaissance villa. Little wonder, perhaps, as this is the former bachelor pad of flamboyant Italian film director Luchino Visconti.
Born into one of Milan’s wealthiest families in 1906, his 1969 film The Damned, about a wealthy German family that turns fascist, received an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay. His aesthetically restored home now houses an arts foundation, which includes a documentary library focussing on Visconti and cinema history, as well as costumes, set pieces and stills from his films. It’s also a…
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Museo Angelo Rizzoli
The Museo Archeologico di Pithecusae also houses the Museo Angelo Rizzoli, which pays homage to the man who turned humble little Lacco into a celebrity hotspot in the 1950s. Cool paparazzi shots and clippings of a Hitchcock-esque Rizzoli and his famous pals decorate rooms once host to the likes of Gina Lollabrigida, Grace Kelly and Federico Fellini.
Equally striking are the villa's gardens, complete with lemon trees, fountain, a children's playground and star-worthy views towards the Campi Flegrei.
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Terme Cavascuro
Experience an earthy natural spa by catching a water taxi to Cavascura (one way €3.50) and follow the signs 300m down a
rocky gorge to Terme Cavascuro. Wedged between soaring cliffs, this historic no-frills outdoor spa is Ischia’s oldest. Soak
in old Roman baths hewn into the cliff or sweat it out in a grotto.
For an extra fee top it all off with a mud mask and face massage (€24), manicure (€15) or anti-stress massage (€30). The sulphurous waters are reputedly beneficial for rheumatic, bronchial and skin conditions.
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Parco Termale Aphrodite Apollon
A spectacular, if partly strenuous 2km walk above the coast from Sant’Angelo brings you to this luxurious spa, which is now part of the Miramare Sea Resort. Beyond its ivy-draped entrance is a marble-clad complex of gyms, saunas, lush terraced gardens and 12 differently heated pools, including one for hydro-cycling. The spa offers an extensive range of beauty treatments and therapies.
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Seggiovia del Monte Solaro
A fast and painless way to reach Capri’s highest peak, the Seggiovia del Monte Solaro chairlift whisks you to the mountain peak in a tranquil beautiful ride of just 12 minutes. The views from the top are outstanding – on a clear day you can see the entire Bay of Naples, the Amalfi Coast and the islands of Ischia and Procida. If all that camera clicking has worked up an appetite, there’s a cafeteria here that serves snacks, drinks and ice creams.
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Santa Maria della Scala
A striking 15th-century watchtower, Torre del Mare, now serves as the bell tower to Ischia’s cathedral. The current church, designed by Antonio Massinetti and completed in 1751, stands on the site of two older churches, one built in the 13th century and the other in the 17th century. Step inside its peeling interior and you’ll find the original 14th-century baptismal font, a Romanesque wooden crucifix and a wistful 18th-century canvas by Giacinto Diano.
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La Mortella
Designed by Russell Page and inspired by the Moorish gardens of Granada’s Alhambra in Spain, La Mortella is recognised as one of Italy’s finest botanical gardens and well worth a couple of hours of your time. Stroll among terraces, pools, palms, fountains and more than 1000 rare and exotic plants from all over the world.
These plants include the huge water lily Victoria Amazonica with flowers that turn from white to crimson red. This veritable Eden was established by the late British composer Sir William Walton and his Argentinian wife, Susana (who died in March 2010, aged 83), who made it their home in 1949, entertaining such venerable house guests as Sir Laurence…
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Chiesa di Santa Maria del Soccorso
This dazzling white church located on the western edge of town was originally part of a 14th-century Augustinian monastery; its side chapel and dome were added in 1791 and 1854 respectively, the latter rebuilt after the 1883 earthquake. The 18th-century mismatched majolica tiles adorning the semicircular staircase out the front are truly beautiful; from here, the views are heavenly.
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Castello Aragonese
Head for the elegant 15th-century Ponte Aragonese, which connects the town to Castello Aragonese (insert pracs), a sprawling, magnificent castle perched high and mighty on a rocky islet. While Syracusan tyrant Gerone I built the site’s first fortress in 474 BC, the bulk of the current structure dates from the 1400s, when King Alfonso of Aragon gave the older Angevin fortress a thorough makeover, building the fortified bastions, current causeway and access ramp cut into the rock.
Further up lie the sunbaked, stuccoed ruins of the 14th-century Cattedrale dell’Assunta, which collapsed under British cannon fire in 1809. The 11th-century crypt below features snippets of…
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Chiesa dell'Immocolata
The 18th-century Chiesa dell'Immocolata is well preserved with its Greek-cross plan and look-at-me dome studded with curved tympanum windows. Commissioned by the adjoining Convento delle Clarisse (Convent for Clarisse nuns; in town), it was left in its minimalist state after building funds ran out. When the nuns' own lives expired, they were left to decompose sitting upright on stone chairs in the macabre Cimitero delle Monache Clarisse.
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Convento delle Clarisse
The 18th-century Chiesa dell'Immocolata (in town) is well preserved with its Greek-cross plan and look-at-me dome studded with curved tympanum windows. Commissioned by the adjoining Convento delle Clarisse, it was left in its minimalist state after building funds ran out. When the nuns' own lives expired, they were left to decompose sitting upright on stone chairs in the macabre Cimitero delle Monache Clarisse.
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Piazza Umberto I
Located beneath the clock tower and framed by see-and-be-seen cafes, this showy, open-air salon is central to your Capri experience, especially in the evening when the main activity in these parts is dressing up and hanging out. Be prepared for the cost of these front row seats – the moment you sit down for a drink, you’re going to pay handsomely for the grandstand views (around €6 for a coffee and €16 for a couple of glasses of white wine).
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Chiesa di San Michele
If you appreciate the colour, intricate patterns and historical tradition of antique majolica tiles, check out this stunning church. The glorious octagonal 18th-century majolica-tiled floor vividly depicts Adam and Eve along with a bizarre animal menagerie, including a unicorn, bull, several goats and an elephant.
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Chiesa di Santa Restituta
In Piazza Restituta you'll find the Terme Regina Isabella and pretty-in-pink Chiesa di Santa Restituta, rebuilt after the 1883 earthquake. According to legend, the martyred Restituta was washed ashore on nearby San Montano Beach in the 4th century on a boat steered from Tunisia by a seaworthy angel. Every May, residents re-enact her arrival on the beach.
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Museo Civico del Torrione
Long before the invasion of sarongs and sunscreen, Forio was the hapless target of medieval pirate raids. One of the 12 watchtowers built to defend its frazzled citizens houses the Museo Civico del Torrione . Dating from 1480, this former Bourbon prison now exhibits the works of painter and sculptor Giovanni Maltese, who once lived in the tower.
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Cattedrale dell'Assunta
Further up lie the sunbaked, stuccoed ruins of the 14th-century Cattedrale dell'Assunta. Built to replace the cathedral destroyed in the eruption of Monte Arso in 1301, it was restyled in the 18th century before collapsing under British canonfire in 1809. The 11th-century crypt below features snippets of 14th-century frescoes inspired by Giotto.
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