Ischia is the largest of the Partenopean islands of the bay of Naples. The largest of the four islands (the others being Capri, Procida, and the tiny island of Vivara, a nature reserve), Ischia looks out over the "Flegrea" coast. The city of Naples lies only 18 miles away over the crystal clear waters. With a circumference of 18 miles and a population of 50,000, Ischia has both lively towns and a wealth of countryside to explore away from civilisation. When getting the ferry from the mainland the island appears as a verdant paradise; white island houses stand in contrast to the riot of vegetation that blankets all - from the shore to the mountains inland. Ischia is not only graced with an amazing landscape, it is also blessed with good weather for most of the year, and is justly famed for the many mineral springs that bubble forth from the ground. The most important town, and the one you will arrive at, is Ischia, the largest on the island. Its port was originally a lake formed from an extinct volcano, and, in 1854 King Ferdinand of Bourbon commanded that a passage be formed linking the lake to the sea, thereby forming the harbour.