What is Casamicciola Terme known for?

Gurgitello, Fornello and Fontana hot springs used since antiquity; thermal bathing has been the town's main industry since the late fifteenth century. Volcano-tectonic earthquake on 28 July 1883 killed around 2,300 people and destroyed most of the upper town; the lower seafront was rebuilt in art nouveau style. Magnitude 4.0 shallow earthquake on 21 August 2017 killed two and damaged the upper village; reconstruction in the hilly zone is still in progress.

Campania · Napoli

Casamicciola Terme

Ischia's thermal town on the flank of Monte Epomeo, levelled by the 1883 earthquake and again in 2017, rebuilt on the Gurgitello springs.

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Nearest hub

7,614

Population

All year

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Comuni Termali

Why come

Casamicciola Terme sits on the northern slope of Monte Epomeo on the island of Ischia, thirty-five kilometers from Napoli by ferry. The thermal waters of Gurgitello, Fornello and Fontana springs have been used since antiquity; from the late fifteenth century the bath complexes became the main local industry, with grand hotels lining the waterfront and inland slopes. Casamicciola's seismic history is the other half of the story. The town has been destroyed by volcano-tectonic earthquakes in 1762, 1767, 1796, 1828, 1881 and 1883, the last killing around 2,300 people and leveling most of the upper village. The Pio Monte della Misericordia, founded in the early 1600s by Neapolitan nobles to treat the poor at the thermal springs, was rebuilt in 1895 along the seafront in art nouveau style. On 21 August 2017 a magnitude 4.0 earthquake centered on the hill above town killed two people and damaged the upper area badly. Reconstruction is still in progress. The Sentinella belvedere above the port keeps the panoramic view that Garibaldi, Ibsen and Benedetto Croce came up here to see.

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Gallery

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Known for

Piazza Bagni
Historic thermal square with the Belliazzi baths fed by the Gurgitello spring, on the seafront strip rebuilt after the 1883 earthquake in art nouveau style.
Pio Monte della Misericordia
Charitable thermal hospital founded in the early 1600s to treat the Neapolitan poor; the current seafront building replaced the old one destroyed in 1883.
Belvedere della Sentinella
Panoramic terrace on the hill above the port, visited by Garibaldi, Ibsen and Benedetto Croce, with a view across Casamicciola harbor and the Bay of Napoli.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena
Eighteenth-century parish church facing the seafront, rebuilt after the 1883 earthquake, still the main place of worship for the lower town.
Slopes of Monte Epomeo
Northern flank of the dormant volcano above town, the source of the thermal springs and the area most damaged by the 2017 earthquake.

When to visit

Best months · All year

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Casamicciola works year round because the springs do. The hotels and spa centers keep core business through every season, with winter packages priced lower than the August peak. May, June, September and October are the easiest months: warm sea, full thermal access, no peak-season ferry crush. July and August are hot, very crowded and expensive; the Naples ferries run constantly and the lower town fills with day-trippers. The hilly area above the port still carries damage from the 2017 earthquake, and several streets remain partly closed. Winter is mild on Ischia, often above ten degrees in January, and the thermal baths function as the off-season draw.