Ischia's Mountains
After a fresh lot of rain the night before, there is no better place than Mount Epomeo. The horizon is clearest and they say you can see all the way to Rome. The sight of Rome may be a stretch, but Capri, Naples, and the entire Campania coastline glisten before your orbs, not to mention the cartographic, spectacular bird's eye view of the island itself.
Towards Mount Epomeo's crag the fresh smells of the countryside linger throughout the day and perhaps ten days after the rain you'll find mushrooms sprouting by the path or forest berries growing throughout August and September.
Mount Epomeo is the island's highest peak. It towers approximately 780 metres above sea level. Often mistakenly referred to as the island's volcano, Epomeo is actually a mount created by seismic activity and volcanic uplift. The true crater mouth of Ischia's most recent volcanic activity is to the north-east at Mount Rotaro.
Indeed, Mount Epomeo is only a starting point for walking expeditions through Ischia's natural milieu. A list of the key treks around the island is a clue to the diverse scope of its geography and habitat.
"Il sentiero della Maddalena" – Magdalene walk
"Il sentiero del grande cratere" – Great crater walk
"Il sentiero delle antiche cantine" – The ancient cellars walk
"Il sentiero del santuario" – Sanctuary walk
"Il sentiero delle baie" – Bays walk
"Il sentiero del Monte" – Mount walk
"Il sentiero panoramico" – Panoramic walk
"Il sentiero della fonte" – Springs walk
Volcanic history
The island of Ischia is part of a much larger volcanic field that incorporates the areas of Flegrei and Vesuvius. The horst of Mount Epomeo is the most dominant of Ischia's tectonic uplifts, while the flatter area lies between the districts of Casamicciola, Barano and Ischia Ponte, though the island has numerous eruptive centres and pyroclastic formations.
Ischia's geomorphology is divided into two, the old cycle and the young. Of course in human life terms "young" is still reasonably old, stretching back 55,000 years.
The old cycle refers to the period before the green tuff flow that is the foundation of Mount Epomeo. Explosive and effusive volcanic activity from 150,000 to 75,000 years ago formed the areas of Carozza and Scarrupata of Barano. The lava domes of Punta Imperatore, Capo Negro, Punta Chiarito, Sant'Angelo, Punta della Signora, Capo Grosso, La Guardiola, Monte Vezzi, Castello d'Ischia and Monte Vico all emerged during the later part of this old cycle.
The young cycle, on the other hand, refers to those phases that created the green tuff flow and onward. The formation of Pigniatello, Epomeo and Citara were the earliest. Following various lava flows and explosive eruptions, the Zaro scoria cone and the complex of Mounts Rotaro and Montagnone-Maschiatta emerged. The most recent volcanic eruption was that of Mount Rotaro in 1301 A.D, on the north-east side of the island. Since then Ischia has suffered several earthquakes and tremors, considered minor in geo-physical scope but resulting in human deaths nonetheless. The worst of these conglomerated in the 1800s and in 1883 the area of Casamicciola suffered 1784 dead.
The 20th and 21st centuries, however, have so far corresponded to a period of peace and calm. The only signs of Ischia's continuing volcanic claim is in the beneficial thermal springs and fumaroles thermal font fissures, that escape its crust, conveying pleasure and health to the island's inhabitants and visitors alike.
An interesting do-it-yourself tour of Ischia's geological sites has been compiled by two physics students, R. Scandone and L. Giacomelli, from the University of Rome Tre. A two to three day tour, it begins at Ischia Porto and ends at the Fondo d'Oglio crater.
W: http://vulcan.fis.uniroma3.it/ischia/escurs-eng.htm
