History
Ischia was one of the first Greek colonies in the 8th century BC, named Pithekoussai after the pithos (pottery clay) found there. An important stop on the trade route from Greece to northern Italy, it was renamed Aenaria by the Romans. In 1301 an eruption of the now-extinct (and unfortunately named) Monte Arso forced the inhabitants to flee to the mainland, where many stayed permanently.
The Spanish took the island in 1495 and ruled until a brief French occupation in the early 19th century. The English attacked in 1806, sparking fierce fighting and the bombardment of the Castello Aragonese – the scars are still evident today. Like so many of these islands, Ischia was a political prison during the 19th century.
