Guided tour of Aragonese Castle on Ischia Island

 

"One of the main attractions of Ischia is certainly the Aragonese Castle as a recognition symbol of the entire island. The fortress is located on a small island surrounded by the sea and connected to the rest of the island through a concrete jetty that is 200 meters long. A visit of the Aragonese Castle is a must during a stay on the island in order to comprehensively understand the origin and the history of Ischia. Pick up from your hotel at around 9:00am and transfer by minibus to the historical center in front of the castle where our guide will be waiting for us. The access to the castle is a tunnel dug by Alfonso I of Aragon around 1447. Once on top of the fortress you can visit the Church of the Immaculate Conception (XVIII century), whose dome dominates the entire Castle, the Convent of the Poor Clares with its cemetery (XVI century), the panoramic terraces of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception on the north-western side, the Assumption Cathedral (XIV century) that saw in 1509 the fantastic wedding between Ferrante d'Avalos and Vittoria Colonna, the Crypt of the Cathedral (XIV century) with frescoes of the school of Giotto, the Church of St. Peter Pantaniello (XVI century) with its characteristic hexagonal plan that has been attributed to the architect Barozzi Jacopo known as Vignola, the Path of the Sun, the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (XVI century), the panoramic terrace of the olive trees on the eastern side, the political prisons (XVIII century) that hosted the heroes of the Italian Risorgimento. You can see also from outside the donjon, the gothic access arches of the Greek Basilian Abbey, the remains of the Sun Temple, the defensive bastions, the riflemen and the parade square with the church of S. Barbara as well. After the visit we will enjoy a short walk through the ancient village of Ischia Ponte to return to the meeting point of our minibus for the transfer to your hotel. Note: For those coming from Naples we recommend to organize with the purchase of the ferry tickets in a way as to be on the island by 9 am and leave after 13.30 pm .