Auguri in Ischia

The day Alex and I booked our flights for this five month trip through Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East, I was online booking a long weekend in Ischia.  I had the perfect place saved on AirBnB, and I knew it was exactly where I wanted to spend my birthday on May 31.  

So where’s Ischia?

A one hour ferry ride from the Molo Beverello Port in Naples lies Ischia, Capri’s neighbor.  All I knew about the island was that three Italian friends told me they loved it.  I didn’t ask why, what was there, or where to stay....(turns out you should stay in Ischia Ponte, there are lots of spas and shopping, and there are castles and aqueducts…that’s pretty much all there is to know).

Fortunately, we ended up here.

With Gina Menegazzi, Italian grandmamma extraordinaire.  Her two-bedroom apartment overlooks the stunning Castello Aragonese, the azure sea in front, and a row of pastel colored houses weathered from the ocean winds.  The sea is so close to the windows that you can hear the waves lapping all day and night, and you feel a sort of constant drowsiness and relaxation.  I slept better there than I have since the cave in Cappadocia, and that’s saying something. 

Breakfast every morning was fresh baked bread with fresh honey, butter, and lemon and orange jam made by Gina herself. On May 31^st, I woke up to happy birthdays from my tempory grandmother and Alex, and a wonderful breakfast by the sea. 

Next it was shopping and pizza by the water, followed by an absolutely incredible dinner at Il Pontille.  In case you ever find yourself in Italy, do yourself a favor: just tell the waiters to surprise you.  It ends well.

After the owner insisted that Alex was in fact Matt Damon, we were given four glasses of prosecco and some birthday cake.  We were so full that we forgot to go home and light the candle on the lemon cake we bought that afternoon.

No matter, we had it for breakfast the next morning overlooking that gorgeous ocean.

When I blew out my candle, I made the obligatory wish.  Guess what it was? 

That 26 would be as good as 25.  What an incredible end to another fabulous year.