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Cities story of the island of Ischia

City of Serrara Fontana

This town takes its name from two main villages that comprise it, the one located on the southern summit of Mount Epomeo, and the other halfway. This town is called with a romantic simile, Switzerland of the island of Ischia, both for its mountain posture, both for the industry of his mountain sheep. These two villages are a brotherhood, and the joint nature, and the organic civil and military administration, divided into two parishes in the ecclesiastical branch.
These two villages in ancient times were not that busy campaign by farmers and shepherds, and had only one parish, and was that one of Fontana, the oldest part of the island. In the administrative side, with their small houses accessories, the other lands of this island from the town or castle of Ischia depend. As the population grew throughout the island and in process of time Serrara Fontana formed the third part.
In 1806 these two villages bought their administrative autonomy, and the consortium was raised to joint third class.
From a historical-geographical dictionary of 1802 we get that house on the island of Ischia Fontana joined withSerrano had a population of 700 souls.
Currently the population of the town meeting ascends, according to official statistics, to 1793 souls, but by collecting accurate information from authoritative sources, at 1869 inhabitants, who are divided into farmers, shepherds and landowners sea-settlers.
This town is bordered from the east met with the town of Forio, from noon to the sea and with the City of Testaccio, from the north with that of Casamicciola, in the west with that of Forio. Begins its territory to the Cross of the Colajacono at Ciglio, ends in the valley Bellarita in Moropano.
Today it has become common in the sixth grade, belonging to mandment of Ischia.

City of Lacco Ameno

The town of Lacco is located at the northern part of the island, bordered to the west with the towns of Forio, Casamicciola to the east, with the same two cities at noon, and with the sea to the north.
Looking this city, from Monte Vico, presents to the eye in the form of an amphitheater: by one hand, it is swallowed by the waves, another side there are the hills of Castanito, Pannella, of Mezzania, and the promontory of the bush Monte Vico, and the more modest of Ebdomade and the lido, which close a semi-circle occupied by the extensive plains planted vineyards and charming villas. It ends on one side at the foot hills shaded by clumps of little selveti and the other side is formed by the extensive sea washed by the waves along its northern extension. The districts Pannella, Mezzania, Monte-House, House-Let, Mud, Cesa, Capital, and others, are included within this small town.
The etymology of the name Lacco, De Siano derives from the Greek pencil in Italian stone, or stony place, and, in fact, he argues: throughout Lacco was - perhaps at his time, or before - full of large masses of white tuff, which although they are broken, in large quantities for use in the factory, there are still especially a fungus that is the figure of the great well located in the sea not far from the shore, which serves mooring and shelter for ships. The Genoese in 1798 called this rock Lacco the very expressive name for the name of the place.
In 1863 they were invited all municipalities in southern Italy to bring those changes, which they believed appropriate, to the ancient names of their cities. The municipality of Forio, believed to add to this, the Royal Decree was authorized the qualifier Ameno and was authorized to call Lacco-Ameno, a name officially preserved.
Considering the veil that covers fables, myths, and traditions of thousands of centuries, and wanting to scrutinize the monuments on the territory of Lacco presents us, we must assume that the first Phoenician colonies to the latest British invasion occurred in 1809, most part, even if you do not want to tell all, they had to arrive to the comfortable and spacious beach of Lacco, and because its largest navy, and because of more secure anchoring.
In fact, legend has it that the Trojan fleet will be repaired in the womb of Marine Lacco, and that colony has occupied this plain with its leader, with the promontory of Monte Vico.
The physicist Dr. Francesco De Siano, native of Lacco, in his operetta, argues that the Greek monuments excavated at that site, the headquarters of the Greek colonies was Lacco, situated in the middle of the island.
But beyond the legends and opinions of local writers, the statue of Hercules, etc. there are many stories to indicate that the first colonies that have occupied this site. The Greeks of the early expeditions, establishing their main headquarters in the valley of Negroponte and other points are stretched along the coast, from Punta Perrone in Monte Vico as it is also the opinion of Jasolino and Oltramontano. The Syracuse who stared at their main center in the Land of Forio lasted until the marina of San Montano Monte Vico and on top of which, built a military bulwark that the eruption of Caccavelli could not destroy.
The famous writer Capaccio argued that the inscriptions on the sepulchral urns, and the names of those extinct, are too truthful testimony, the Romans living in this pleasant beach.
But if all these ancient colonies have landed, have concentrated in our coverage of the territory, we have arguments that have never established a permanent dwelling, perhaps because the place is too exposed, just repaired, or not suitable to their industries or professions, or perhaps because, having planted their cemetery, their burial, in the most romantic and melancholy plains, and on the hill of Monte Vico, and for veneration for the dead, is a sentiment of religion or superstition, they stopped their main headquarters in Forio, but for a place of worship. This place was used and held in awe, the seat of their gods and Penates for the district, was inhabited by the souls of the deceased and from the invisible spirit of their patron, for fear of seeing it was so polluted by new adventurers, was allocated a detachment stationed on Mount Vico, where they were discovered scrap vessels and tiles used in the usual roofs of houses, as well as caves plastered like a tank of oil, or rather of wine and jars.
However if scrap of old factories have been found on Mount Vico, even if there have been houses on the hills of Fundera, House Monti and boundaries, there are signs of old factories along the plain of the sea. So the last part had to be lived. When the pirates disappeared before the fishermen and sailors, then the wealthy bourgeoisie began to build their homes in this pleasant location by the sea.
Too long we have told about these historical details, so we move on to more recent times and say, that the municipality of Ameno Lacco if the timing was very kind of the place of worship and the worship of ancient colonies, as we mentioned, in times of Christianity was regarded as the depositary of the body of a saint. In this regard, here is what he is saying the same De Siano Lacco: One can not deny that, and still less in the beginning of the fourth century, arrived in this island from Africa to protect the body of the mistress of the same, virgin and martyr St. Restituta, who arrived in a boat in the bloodless shore of the sea of small breast S.Montano called Le Ripe, which are still there as of sand, where she was received and transported to the place, where is her church, and convent of the Carmelite Fathers together, the aquifer south of Monte di Vico already noticed ...

City of Barano

The position of Barano and its farmhouses is unique on the island: it looks like a Mediterranean country, because far from the sea, in a prominent arrangement, between hills and mountains, valleys and fertile and lush plains. The campaigns of Moscardino, Maisyo, Belvedere, Cufo, Cesa, the Tower, Casabona, Cottage-and between-Moropano adjacency of other Cannavino, Tuoro Valley, Terzano, Finestra, make it more cheerful and smiling this interesting town. Indeed the air that you breathe in these places is very healthy: the houses are mostly one-storey but decent, clean with multi-storey building and buildings that contrast with the rest of this site are private dwellings. As equally elegant lodges are located between those campaigns.
The buildings of the main center of the town giving an air of distinction to the site, exposed in a beautiful location, explains to a horizon view of the picturesque, and beautiful by two points south-east and south.
The territory of Barano also has an ancient history, older than it seems, since the fertility of the soil, and its topographic position, sheltered between the hills and mountains.
This natural advantage attracted the early settlers, Syracuse, Neapolitans, and Romans, and indeed at that time, the districts-where today Moropane- Barano, and Testaccio, were inhabited, and believed to be in reputation, for pure air, and the renowned and revered its sources of mineral-rich waters, which we regard as the oldest, and first used. We said on these famous waters because they were not inferior to those estimated very famous Umbria: venerated because under the protection of Apollo and the Nymphs nitrous, which gave name to the more specious source of this district, which was spoken of nitrous and then Nitroli. The bas-reliefs carved in the neighborhood confirmed this antiquity.
The mellowness of the soil attracted its ancient inhabitants, the air pure and balmy, that can enjoy healthy water that flows of nitrous, which was tested as portentous for some diseases, it is high PEL meal; for comfortable living - attracted new inhabitants, so that this land was first settled more than, so that Jasolino, who wrote a short account of this island in 1587 saying that after the earth Forio, was the house and no longer inhabited the island at that time was joined by a parish in Testaccio.
But there was a time that the district Barano remained depopulated and it was after the eruption of 1301: came the other in which the same district, and the land surrounding the ancient lost importance, and it was the fall of the Aragonese.
In 1544 these houses were also looted, like the rest of Serrara, the land of Forio and Panza, by the pirate Barbarossa, was most miserably and fearfully Barano thrown in squalor. Its inhabitants who survived were scattered around the island, some setting in tower somewhere in that range in elevation of land, other inane Gottaviello heights of the hill, and the other working days in those campaigns, the evening went to shelter in the castle of Ischia became the only refuge of islanders, to dodge the slavery, and violence of the Saracens.