What is Forio known for?

Sixteenth-century white church on a sea promontory, the most photographed building on Ischia and the symbol of Forio. Composer William Walton and Susana Walton created the two-hectare subtropical garden above Forio between 1956 and 1991. Thermal springs on the western coast feeding the Poseidon Gardens with twenty-two pools below the slopes of Monte Epomeo.

Campania · Napoli

Forio

The largest Ischia commune by area, a Tyrrhenian coastal town with the white Soccorso church on a sea promontory and the Walton gardens above.

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Nearest hub

17,437

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Why come

Forio sitson the western coast of Ischia, the largest commune of the island by area and the second by population. Seventeen towers, built between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries to defend against Saracen raids, are scattered through the town and surrounding countryside; the largest, the Torrione, anchors the old center. The Santa Maria del Soccorso church on a white promontory above the sea was rebuilt in the sixteenth century in a mix of Moorish, Byzantine and Mediterranean elements, and is the visual symbol of Forio. Above the town the Giardini La Mortella were created in 1956 by Susana Walton on the hillside her husband William bought to compose on, a two-hectare garden of subtropical species opened to the public in 1991. The western beaches face the only sunset on the island. The thermal springs of Citara feed the Poseidon Gardens nearby.

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Gallery

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Known for

Chiesa del Soccorso
Sixteenth-century white church on a sea promontory, the visual symbol of Forio, mixing Moorish, Byzantine and Mediterranean elements.
Il Torrione
Fifteenth-century defensive tower in the centro storico, largest of the seventeen Forio towers, now a small museum and viewpoint.
Giardini La Mortella
Two-hectare subtropical garden created by Susana Walton in 1956 on the hillside her husband William composed on, opened in 1991.
Giardini Poseidon
Thermal park at Citara bay with twenty-two pools at varying temperatures, fed by springs flowing beneath Monte Epomeo.
Spiaggia di Citara
Volcanic-sand beach on the western coast facing the sunset, the longest stretch of free beach in the Forio commune.
Baia di San Francesco
Northern bay of the Forio commune, a quieter beach below the church of San Francesco di Paola.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May and June are the cleanest weeks: thermal pools open, sea swimmable from late May, La Mortella in spring bloom. July and August are the high tourist months; Forio fills with northern Europeans on package stays at the western hotels, and the Citara springs run at full capacity. September and early October the crowds thin and the water stays warm. The Festa di San Vito on June 15 is the patron's day. November through March many hotels close and the western coast quiets to its resident population. La Mortella keeps a reduced public schedule on weekends through the cooler months.