Forio is the second-largest town on Ischia, spread along the western coast between two promontories with some of the island's best beaches and vineyards. It has the best-preserved historic centre on the island — a tight network of whitewashed lanes, watchtowers, and churches that has barely changed in centuries.
The church of Santa Maria del Soccorso, perched on a rocky headland above the sea, is the most photographed spot on Ischia. The sunsets from here are spectacular. In the old town, the Torrione — a cylindrical watchtower — houses a small museum, and there are more churches than you can count. The Giardini La Mortella, the exotic garden created by Lady Walton (wife of the British composer William Walton), is one of the finest gardens in southern Italy.
Forio drew artists and intellectuals in the 1950s and 60s — Visconti, Pasolini, Moravia, Auden, and Neruda all spent time here. Today it is quieter but still has a cultural edge over the rest of the island. The beaches at Citara and Cava dell'Isola are excellent, and at Sorgeto Bay you can bathe in natural hot springs that bubble up through the rocks — free and accessible year-round, best visited at night.
The surrounding hillsides produce most of Ischia's wine. The Poseidon thermal gardens at Citara offer a more organised spa experience with pools at different temperatures overlooking the sea.