have carry-on will travel: Fabulous Forio on the Island of Ischia

Forio on the island of Ischia, in Italy, is a fabulous town for relaxation and an authentic Italian experience. Ischia may not be a tourist hot spot like nearby Positano or Capri but it's a wonderful place to get away from it all. Forio specifically is a great place to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures.

When my group went there we stay at the lovely Hotel La Scogliera. It's in a great location close to beaches, restaurants, small grocery stores, and tabacchis (almost like convenience stores in the USA). The hotel staff were excellent and quite friendly. It was really convenient to catch the sunsets just across the street from the hotel as well.

Our group of four choose this Forio area so that we could have a lot of beach and relaxation time. We had originally planned to go hiking up the mountain, Monte Epomeo, and visit local hot springs / spa but it was unusually hot for the time of year (end of June / early July). It was so hot and humid that one felt a bit tired just walking around in the heat.

We tried a few free beaches near the hotel and they were very nice. The water was quite refreshing. We had the wonderful opportunity to get to chat with some of the local residents there too. The lidos or paid beaches were nearby as well.

There's a lot of good food to be found at the restaurants. Anything from seafood, lemon pasta, gnocchi, pizza, and much more. Please learn from our mistake though. We tried eating dinner at our early American time of around 5 PM and options are limited. If you shift it later there's a lot more to choose from.

The coffee in Italy is really excellent. There was one shop that even roasted their own coffee. Others in town had great cappuccinos and delicious pastries as well.

The La Mortella gardens have quite the variety of plants and fountains. If you hike up to the top it offers a great view of Forio and the coastline as well.

It's also great fun to just walk around and explore. There's beautiful churches both in Forio and right by the water. The architecture and small details are also delightful.