Local Lingerings No.4
Summering in Ischia, island souvenirs, and back-to-school season
I cannot believe it is already the middle of August, and isn’t that the story of nearly everyone’s life? I am feeling particularly emotional as my sweet Raffaele will be starting school this year for the first time, and I must say, I can already feel the tears coming!! I am also feeling the heaviness of a “seven-year itch,” but in the living-away-from-my-home-country edition. Has anyone who lives in a different country than where they grew up experienced an identity crisis around year seven? It has been something heavy on my mind lately. Maybe it is the combination of my son starting school, but I would love to hear if anyone can relate!
We rounded out the end of July in Ischia, and though it was dreadfully hot, I love returning to the green, lush island. I am not a “traditions” person, but since my partner Paolo grew up spending 30-something summers on the island, it feels nearly second nature to continue this tradition with Raffaele. There is something particularly comforting about returning to the same spots, seeing old faces, and meeting new ones along the way.
Exploring
While in Ischia, we met the incredible owners of Casa Via Costa, Jeff and Jusleen, a collection of private homes on the far tip of Forio’s hillside overlooking the entire western side of the island. Open now for two years, the two have poured their hearts and souls into this property, and it shows beyond imaginable. The houses are modern and clean, while the property is surrounded by an explosion of greenery, bees, a garden, and even the property’s chickens. We went for a coffee and left with new friends, fresh honey, and some of the most prized possessions on the island: Ischian tomatoes.
One afternoon, when we couldn’t take the sun much longer, we decided to switch it up and pay a visit to the botanical gardens on the edge of Forio called La Mortella. We were blown away by the expansiveness of the property, and my son loved it, though we were beyond naive to think we would escape the heat at 4 p.m. in the afternoon. If you happen to be in the historic center of Forio, I was pleasantly surprised to find the main 17th-century church, Chiesa di San Gaetano, open. Inside, it’s decked out in periwinkle, blues, and tiles you might expect to find in your hotel room along the Amalfi Coast, with accents of sailboats and sailors, a nod to the original sailors who built the church.
Shopping & souvenirs
Ischia is home to some of the longest-standing raffia and straw artisanal productions in the entire country, and there is just about one family that is carrying this tradition alive. They sell some of the products made on the island in a small souvenir shop in the lavish Lacco Ameno comune, but to meet with the actual artisans who work out of a small studio on the edge of Monte Epomeo is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Speaking of a needle in a haystack, down Via Roma into Via San Vito is where you’ll find Domenico’s antique shop that’s filled with antiques from floor to ceiling, back to front. I decided on this painting from a Neapolitan artist dating back to the ’70s, depicting one of the island’s most iconic natural landmarks, Il Funghetto.
Il Pirata Ceramiche is a ceramic shop and studio down in the borgo of Sant’Angelo that is about 60 years old and counting. I love browsing ceramic shops wherever we go in Italy for a keepsake to add to our mismatched ceramic collection in our kitchen. Each city or region has its own specialty designs, and this one feels particularly colorful and reflective of the island’s energy.
Another cute ceramic and jewelry shop is La Conchiglia in Forio, where I picked out a shell pendant paired with a leather cord that, oddly enough, is something I would have begged my mom to buy me in middle school on the Jersey boardwalk.
Wishful wishlist
I am not particularly thinking about fall-adjacent clothes just yet, since we’re expecting soaring summer temperatures through at least mid-September, but I’m always up for a good Vinted scroll. A dainty pair of heels, a school-inspired skirt, and a vintage t-shirt feels very Rory coded and the perfect dressing combo to transition from August to September.
I hope everyone is enjoying their August!
Xxx,
Oh I know the feeling but it’s a good experience for both you and him. Don’t plan to come back to the US, stay where you are, ha! But I can understand the feeling and I think and certain points we always are looking for new experiences and places to go.
at year 7 i moved from london to new york! came back afterwards, I guess I needed a lover for sometime xx