As promised in yesterday's Highland Line today's blog is about Sant Angelo on Ischia. Our first glipse of this beauty spot had been on the first full day we spent on Ischia when David took us out for a walk on the hill above Buonopane. From up there, we could see the Mediterranean below and various landmarks on "our" side of the island, among them the distinctive village of Sant Angelo with it's dome-like rocky island, torre, connected by a spit of land. This photo shows how it looked up close on the morning of our last full day on Ischia as we walked down the hill from where the bus dropped us. It was another gorgeous day and the Mediterranean sparkled invitingly under the already hot sun.
One of the first establishments we came upon was a restaurant perched on the side of the road. This photo shows the entrance.
In this terrain, restaurants are often found perched atop hills, frequently with their entrances at one level and the dining areas on more than one level below that. (Don't even ask about parking!) We just looked in and took photos; we didn't stop. As we walked further along the curving road that led downhill we got even closer views of the water, its clarity, depth, and variations of colour contrasting starkly with the light sandy colour of the rough tufo, the volcanic residue rocks that one sees all over the island, whether in its natural state or turned into stones for walls.
We browsed through a few touristy shops along our way down and bought a few items in one of them before continuing to the main part of Sant Angelo. Spread in front of us was a piazza with tables for various restaurants which fronted the harbor, the walkway that led to the torre, with a few buildings and hotels nestled beneath it. 
Small sandy beaches lay to the right and left of that walkway, and a small harbor on the left with vews over to Moranti Beach. Behind us rose the main buildings of the village, resort-type shops, restaurants, and small hotels. 
Way up on top of the hill was another terme or spa taking advantage of Ischia's natural thermal mineral waters. We ate at one of the outdoor cafes. Here we are with our salad as we wait for pizzas. (Note to self: Next time you're tempted to say formaggio instead of "cheese," remember what a silly look you have on your face in this photo. There's a reason people taking photos, even our Italian waittress, tell us to say "cheese.")
The pizzas were worth waiting for and the views were worth paying a cover charge for, especially as we were serenaded by wandering musicians. We strolled around for a while after we had eaten. Don and I took off our sandals and waded across extremely hot sand to get wet up to our ankles in the Mediterranean so we could say we had done it. Before beginning the trek back up the hill to the bus stop we bought ice cream cones at a gelateria. As a character in some of my favorite films says, Gelato es mi vida! especiallly on such a hot day and especially when it's authentic Italian gelato.The ride back to Buonopane was perhaps the lurchiest and wildest ride we had all week. It was made more exciting by the fact that the vehicles our municipal bus kept meeting and having to squeeze past were most often large tour buses. At one point we were so close to a tour bus as it slowly squeezed past that I could read the time on the watch of a passenger going the other way! David says that when he first started coming to Ischia, you'd never see tour buses but gradually they are becoming more numerous despite the fact that the roads weren't built or designed to take such large vehicles.
Of course you know that we got back to the house in Buonopane and took a nap. The afternoon nap is an art unto itself. We got quite good at it but I'm sure the sun, sea air, the climbing of that long hill in the heat, and the wild bus ride home made us more ready for it than ever that day.
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