We have the luxury seaside resort Regina Isabella
to thank. It was the best party we were never
invited to. After a dip in the saltwater pool,
restorative spa treatments and a gourmet
dinner complete with island wine, we sat in the beautifully
decorated card room checking our e-mail.
That's when we heard the first big boom and crackle, then the sky exploded with fireworks. Mesmerized, we watched through floor-to-ceiling windows, applauding at the end and joking about how nice it was for this island resort near Naples to put on such a show just for us.
Passing the pool on the way to our suite in the Royal section (more jokes about His and Her Highness), we noticed the rows of lit candles and the special white draping on what normally were the pool loungers. That's when we heard the band.
Once we reached our fifth-floor balcony, the full festive thrust of the owner's outdoor waterfront party hit us. Guests swirled below as music filled our room above. We pulled each other close and began dancing under the stars to what seemed our own private band, happy victims of the magic that is Ischia, a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea near the Gulf of Naples.
L'Albergo della Regina Isabella (Hotel Queen Isabella), once a hangout for Hollywood elite, delivers that magic in several ways. Its seaside setting in the thermal spa resort town of Lacco Ameno features "fungo," a 30-foot rock outcropping in the bay, which serves as a local landmark named for its mushroom shape. Many of the resort's 132 rooms overlook the sea, where small fishing boats dot the sand and gleaming yachts set anchor just beyond the seawall.
The hotel's main entrance, lined with blooming bougainvillea and hibiscus, is marked with a custom Maiolica ceramic tile plaque bearing its name. The resort shares a small square with the Sanctuary of Santa Restituta, an archaeological museum where some of the saint's remains are buried. A wooden statue of her dating to 1500 still stands. One version of the saint's story says she was despised for her religion in her home in Africa, so she was set on fire in a boat set adrift; she miraculously survived to land on Ischia's shore.
The hotel's main entrance, lined with blooming bougainvillea and hibiscus, is marked with a custom Maiolica ceramic tile plaque bearing its name. The resort shares a small square with the Sanctuary of Santa Restituta, an archaeological museum where some of the saint's remains are buried. A wooden statue of her dating to 1500 still stands. One version of the saint's story says she was despised for her religion in her home in Africa, so she was set on fire in a boat set adrift; she miraculously survived to land on Ischia's shore.
Opposite the hotel entrance is the resort's massive medical and relaxation spa undergoing a multiyear renovation. Inside are lavish furnishings, a lobby fireplace and chandeliers that are original, plus beautiful Maiolica tile floors, the work of true craftsmen. The floors vary in color and design from public to private rooms and suites. One of the outer walls of the veranda leading from the piano bar features a Maiolica mosaic depicting a bygone view of the island of Ischia.
The hotel's extensive medi-spa — 70 treatment rooms — remains open during the ongoing renovation. Guests find not only pampering, but medically supervised treatments and the resort's own line of spa products featuring the healing thermal waters. It's worth the appointment with Dr. Paolo Magrassi just to hear the hair-raising tales of his medical volunteerism worldwide, including being shot at in Africa.
Reminiscent of a kindly country doctor, the medical director suggests at least a sampling of treatments incorporating Ischia's thermal mud and thermal waters. We met a British bank professional who had incredible results for a rare back problem, and her aging mother who showed marked improvement in her walking and balance during the week.
Nearly 40 percent of guests return for an average 12- day stay (covered annually by the Italian government as a health benefit).
For us, the best results came from Tui Na massage (ancient Chinese energy/body work) and Indo-Asian massage.
Though our stay wasn't long enough to give the healing mud a fair chance, many swear by it, said Costanza Popolano, spa manager, citing her own sister-in-law. "Our water was famous for women who couldn't have babies," she added, motioning to a mother-and-child statue in the spa lobby by the new indoor thermal pool. Her sister-in-law came twice a year for 24 treatments and got pregnant.
The entire island is known for its "termes," many in public settings, such as the fabulous, tiered Poseidon Thermal Gardens overlooking the Bay of Citara and Tyrrhenian Sea beyond. The site offers a myriad of 18 thermal and treatment baths and pools, Roman steam bath in a natural grotto, resplendent gardens, indoor pool, massage/treatment area, and sandy beach.
Research shows people using the thermal waters here for over 2,500 years. The Poseidon Gardens' source springs contain mineral salt, iodine, sulfur and iron bubble, and at some points come from the ground near boiling.
Regina Isabella uses five specific springs and has plans to tap two more. One source, used by the Romans, can be traced to the third century. The resort features Ischia's only seaside thermal spa, and is the only one using the thermal waters in its suites' plunge pools.
Ischia (pronounced Is-kea), a 30-minute hydrofoil ride from Naples, is near Capri but is larger, at about 49 square miles with about 60,000 people.
The first town was founded around 770 B.C. by Greek settlers coming from Euboea, making it the oldest colony in the Western Mediterranean. They called it Pithecusa and later tagged it "land of fire" or "land of springs." It still has the largest concentration for its size of thermal springs anywhere. The island's six municipalities are Casamicciola Terme, Lacco Ameno, Forio, Serrara Fontana, Barano and Ischia. Ischia and Forio are the most populated.
The stunning Aragon Castle sits on its own small island. The island is connected by a paved walkway to Ischia Ponte, a former fishing village with picturesque shops, eateries and houses.
The view from atop the castle, accessed by elevator, is the quintessential Almalfi Coast: twinkling sun droplets on azure water in all directions.
The castle's former monastery is now a hotel, and the fortress once held 13 churches in its walls. In the 1500s, close to 1,000 families lived here, in part for protection against pirates.
Tour guide Francesca Annunziata asks if we would mind seeing something "macabre," then takes us through the Nuns' Cemetery. The deceased nuns were placed on stone seats resembling toilets that allowed their decaying juices to drip down. The living nuns prayed in their company, focusing on the importance of the "spirit, not the body."
Standing at the remains of an altar, Ms. Annunziata first points across the water to Michelangelo's Tower, then tells us about a famous wedding there in 1509. Later, the bride supposedly had an affair with Michelangelo, but the rumor is that she was actually a man, which fits one theory that the famed Renaissance artist was gay. "We'll never know," Ms. Annunziata said, smiling.
More romantic promise waits at another must-see at the Archaeological Museum of Pithecusae in Villa Arbusto at Lacco Ameno, home to the ancient Greek "Coppa di Nestore," or Nestor's Cup, which Homer refers to in The Iliad. The cup's inscription is said to be the first known, preserved Greek writing and reads: "I am the goodly cup of Nestor; whomsoever drinks of me, fair-crowned Aphrodite immediately will seize."
Also near Regina Isabella is La Mortella Ischia, botanical gardens created by the late Sir William Walton and his wife, Lady Susana Walton, who still often greets visitors. A pair of British visitors called it "stunning." Plants here come from all over the world, many having reached "amazing proportions."
Also awaiting exploration: the Sea Museum, Farmer's Museum and three wineries on the island.
Regina Isabella owner, Giancarlo Carriero, credits the resort's original developer, film producer and editor Angelo Rizzoli, for introducing Ischia to the world. Many of his films shot in Ischia put it on the map with jet-setters and stars of the '50s and '60s, including not only Cleopatra principles Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, but Ava Gardner, Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Sophia Loren.
A favorite story from the hotel's Hollywood halcyon days was when Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor stayed here during the filming of Cleopatra. Sometime during that stay, Mr. Burton's clothes ended up in the sea, courtesy of Ms. Taylor.
The property remains active in the annual local film festival, which in recent years has attracted Francis Ford Coppola, Naomi Watts and Dennis Hopper.
Carriero said guests should tour the island by boat to experience Ischia's natural beauty, but added, "What I really like of the island is the inner part — that part of the island is authentic (with) its own traditions and history. For example, I like very much the small restaurants where they cook the rabbit the traditional, most ancient way."
Our tour guide tempted us with an invitation to return during the harvest season to help with the wine making. Sounds like a plan!
If you're going:Eurofly, www.euroflyusa.com, offers direct flights from New York to Naples. To reach Ischia, catch the 30-minute ferry. Hotel Regina Isabella, www.reginaisabella.it, is at Piazza Santa Restituta, 1, Lacco Ameno.
Tours of the Poseidon Thermal Gardens, Aragon Castle, museums, wineries and more can be arranged through Regina Isabella's expert concierge staff or directly with guide Francesca Annunziata (cell: 0039 32 00505 904).
For more in Ischia, visit www.ischiacharm.com.