The beginning of our Italian journey started as most do, in a flurry of transportation. Planes, trains, boats and lots (and lots) of walking... The first few days are a bit of a travel blur, but we set off to Naples with one goal, and one goal only... To consume as much pizza as humanly possible... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
With our pizza coma in mind, we figured we should stay at a hostel and save some dough for the rest of our trip. I was not expecting much out of La Controra Hostel Naples, so I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely our stay was. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, they had a bar downstairs and lovely patio where guests could sip on their beverage of choice and share stories from their travels. And to top it all off, just outside was an old and incredibly stunning church...I would definitely recommend this gem to anyone making a pit stop in Naples.
After gaining about 15 pounds of pizza weight, we hopped on a ferry to one of the most anticipated stops of our trip. A small volcanic Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea... Ischia.
We stayed at the incredible Costa del Capitano in a small town of between Sant' Angelo and Punta Chiarito. This was our "we're on our honeymoon" splurge, and it was worth every penny.
There were several reasons why we decided to make the trek over to Ischia. It's beautiful beyond words but both Keith and I have a soft spot for natural hot springs, and Ischia has several. But something neither of us had heard of were hot springs, directly on the coastline into the ocean. I've never experienced anything like it, the cool ocean water coming in and the warm thermal water leaking out, it was magical.
We were about to make the hike back to our apartment when a strange man came up, and motioned us into his cave... Yes this sounds like the beginning of a horror film, but Leonardo had kind eyes and we were surrounded by other tourists enjoying the hot springs. This would prove to be one of the best memories of our trip... Leonardo had carved out a portion of rock, just large enough for two people and kept it full of piping hot thermal water. He also used his makeshift ax to shave down pieces of rock and mixed in water to create a mud to be rubbed all over your skin, we spent a solid hour with Leonardo, making as much conversation as possible with our limited Italian and his limited English. He served us moonshine and potatoes cooked by the heat of the springs and we have never been so relaxed in our lives.
Be sure to check back in Tomorrow for the next stop on our trip, Positano and Montepertuso!
