Ischia, Italy<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Every year around 6 million tourists, mainly German and English, travel to the volcanic island of Ischia for their holiday. The island itself is mostly a mountain range with its tallest peak being Mount Epomeo at 788 metres (which isnât much in mountaineering terms, but it is only a small island). The best time to go to Ischia is from spring to summer as the winter can get pretty bitter.
Being a volcanic island, the residents there make use of that thermal energy and have opened many spas that feature both hot spring and mud baths.
Summer
The summer is nice and sunny with very little rain, the water is warm enough for a comfortable swim and the days are long. The average temperature ranges from 29°C (84°F) down to 17°C (62°F) at its coldest. Extremes have been known to exceed 40°C (104°F), but thatâs only the occasional one-off. Of course the humidity wonât help the temperature, making the air that little bit more stifling and it only rains a handful of days each month.
If you like holidays that are hot and relaxing, youâll like Ischia and if you ever wanted to dabble in mountaineering, thereâs plenty of that too.
All that heat and pressure in the air does mean that the island is subject to the occasional thunderstorm. That should be a welcome relief from the hot days accruing all that pressure in the atmosphere. Donât worry; many of the settlements wonât be on the top of the mountains so youâll be safe.
The water surrounding the whole island is a little more than tepid at 24°C (75°F); of course this is the Mediterranean which is famous for being quite warm in the summer.
Winter
As mentioned earlier, the winter in Ischia gets cold and wet. The warmest itâs likely to get is 12°C (53°F) and the average coldest temperature is 5°C (41°F) although it does drop below 0°C on occasion, so if you go to Ischia for a winter holiday you can expect frost. Itâs safe to say it doesnât snow much in Italy so youâll be ok there. Just make sure you take some warm clothes and something waterproof for the 12 days a month when it does rain.
If you like cold and dark holidays, youâll be delighted to know that Ischia only gets 3-4 hours of sunlight per day in the winter and almost every day of the month is carpeted with fog, so watch your step if you go up them mountains.
Even though itâs prone to rain, fog and thunder a winter holiday in Ischia is still worthwhile. The island still has many attractions and sites of historical value such as the Aragonese castle that was built on a rock just off the island in 474 BC. Itâs stood for over 2000 years so if that can withstand a bit of wet weather, so can you.
Surprisingly, the water around the island is at a warmer average temperature than the land. Over the winter the water can be anything from 13°C (55°F) to 16°C (60°F) so you never know until you check a forecast nearer the time. If you get cold, try going in the water.