Sant’Angelo, Ischia

After a hot and busy week in Rome getting ready to drop Luca off at John Cabot University, we were ready for a seaside vacation. We chose Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples, and a fitting place to toast having just become empty-nesters. Less touristy and more authentic than neighboring Capri, Ischia is a volcanic island known for the healing powers of its mineral-rich thermal waters.

A relatively large island, Ischia has several ports and villages that can serve as base camp when visiting, namely Forio, Ischia Ponte, Casamicciola, and Sant’Angelo. We chose Sant’Angelo, the smallest and quietest village because when we take a beach vacation, we truly don’t want anything more than good food, good beaches, and relaxation.

Sant’Angelo is located on Ischia’s southern coast, about a 45-minute drive from the Port of Ischia, where we arrived by traghetto, or ferry, from Naples. It is a small village of narrow streets and whitewashed buildings built one on top of another into the mountain. The historical center of Sant’Angelo is pedestrian-only, making it a lovely place to stroll the narrow streets, shop for beautiful cotton and linen island dresses, have a caffè or gelato, or people-watch while enjoying an aperitivo in the piazza.

A typical day in Sant’Angelo

We stayed in a small vacation rental set high on a hill with a broad terrace overlooking the dazzling sea below. A typical day involved waking up, donning our swimsuits and cover ups, packing a beach bag, and walking down the hill to Dolce è la Vita‘s terrance overlooking the water for a cappuccino and a cornetto ischitano. A cornetto is standard breakfast fare in Rome, but the cornetto ischitano is special – puff pastry and brioche filled with pastry cream and topped with an Amarena cherry. Fortified, we would head to the little marina to Cooperative San Michele, where we would take a taxi boat to that day’s beach of choice. When we had soaked up enough sun and sea, we took the boat taxi back to Sant’Angelo, stopping for an afternoon aperitivo on a patio before walking back to our house for a nap. In the evening, we’d throw on some island-appropriate dinner clothes and head back to the village center for a seafood dinner at one of the many amazing restaurants.

Lodging in Sant’Angelo

There is a wide range of lodging options in Sant’Angelo, ranging from spa resorts to local hotels and an ample assortment of vacation rentals on sites such as Airbnb and VRBO. While some of the spa resorts tend to be located in beautiful but isolated locations, Miramare Sea Resort & Spa is conveniently located right in town on the eastern coast, making it our pick for those looking for a spa experience. Another of our pics is Hotel Casa Celestino, a classic, family-run seaside hotel with brightly tiled rooms, all with private balconies and a sea view. There are fabulous vacation rental properties, as well. If you opt for a vacation rental, location is your primary consideration. Remember that Sant’Angelo is built into the mountain, so the farther you are from the center of the village, the steeper the walk will be. The flip side of that coin may be that those places located near the center of the village may be noisy at night, especially if near restaurants. As always, read the property listing and the reviews carefully.

Beaches near Sant’Angelo

Some travelers scorn private beaches and instead venture out to find beautiful and remote spiaggie libere. Not us. We prefer a beach club where we can rent an umbrella and lounge chairs, order drinks, and have lunch at the club restaurant in the shade. Here are a few of the beaches we enjoyed near Sant’Angelo.

Maronti

Maronti is a three-kilometer stretch of crescent-shaped, pebbled beach located near Sant’Angelo, with calm, shallow water. Several beach clubs line the coast, each with its own restaurant, distinguishable from one another by their different colored umbrellas. Given its vicinity to Sant’Angelo, boat taxis come and go from Maronti regularly.

Cava Grado

Cava Grado is a much smaller and more remote beach, located not far from Sant’Angelo. Nestled between rocks and cliff, it is an excellent place to swim, snorkel, and take in the gorgeous views from the water.

Sorgeto

Sorgeto is a rocky bay renowned for its thermal waters, a product of the volcanic activity below. Just off the shore at Sorgento is a small, natural pool where hot water rises from the seabed. Visitors to the beach take turns entering the hot water pool, relaxing in the thermal waters, and then cooling off in the sea beyond. For a few euros, you can also have your face or body painted with a detoxifying argilla mud. Due to its popularity, the few beach umbrellas and sun lounges fill up quickly, so plan to arrive early or come late in the day after others have left.

Restaurants in Sant’Angelo

There truly are no bad restaurants in Sant’Angelo. Despite being a small village, there were many options, from casual pizza places to elegant waterfront venues. Our recommendations tend toward the seafood restaurants, both because we love it and because its so hard to come by at home in Minneapolis.

Ristorante La Conchiglia

We arrived in Sant’Angelo in the afternoon, just as many restaurants had finished lunch service. Hungry and eager to start our vacation off right, we were lucky to be seated at Ristorante La Conchiglia, a casual bar-restaurant that is part of Hotel La Conchiglia. On a patio overlooking the water with sunbathers lounging on sunbeds on a deck below us, we enjoyed our first of many delicious seafood meals on the island.

Casa Celentino

One of our favorite restaurants during out stay in Sant’Angelo was Casa Celentino, the two-level restaurant of a hotel by the same name on the coast just outside of the heart of the city. We often stopped at Casa Celentino for an afternoon aperitivo at the bar and we returned a time or two for dinner in the lower level restaurant that sits on a terrace overlooking the sea. A particularly memorable dinner was an entire sea bass cooked in a salt crust, which was expertly opened and filleted tableside by our waiter.

Deus Neptunus

Another amazing meal was had on the terrance of Deus Neptunus, the seafood made even tastier by the magnificent views and proximity to the sea. Ask to be seated on the open-air terrace and enjoy the night air and the views of the bay of Sant’Angelo.

Bracconiere

We knew that in addition to seafood, Ischia is famous for its rabbit, so on a rainy afternoon we grabbed a cab and travelled to up into the hills to Ristorante Bracconiere, a rustic, mountain-top restaurant famous for its hearty appetizers and its outstanding rabbit dish, coniglio all’ischitana.

The Poseidon Gardens and Thermal Baths

Ischia is famous for its thermal baths and spas, and while the big hotel and spa scene is not the vacation we were looking for, as a final treat at the end of our stay splurged and spent a day at Giardini Poseidon Terme, or the Poseidon Gardens and Thermal Baths. Featuring over twenty natural pools fed by thermal waters, three sea water polls, a thermal steam grotto, and three Kneipp hydrotherapy pools, the Poseidon Gardens is the largest thermal park in Ischia. In addition to the thermal pools and treatments, there is a private beach and three outstanding restaurants, all in lush greenery and beautiful scenery.