The Montevergine Hermitage, the earliest settlement in the area, dating back to the early 1700s, occupies a panoramic position overlooking San Francesco beach, which is about 100 metres from the entrance beside the church of San Francesco.
This unique setting is just 2 km from Forio city centre, in an exclusive location always considered a residential area, with villas and prestigious hotels served by restaurants bars and supermarkets. It an ideal location for those who want to enjoy a holiday steeped in the special atmospher of Ischia, with its nature, relaxation and fun, while enjoying absolute peace and quiet. Nearby are the Zaro woods, with“la Colombaia”, the villa that once belonged to the director Luchino Visconti and is now home to a cultural foundation dedicated to film and entertainment. The woods also have a place of worshipdedicated to Our Lady of Zaro, while a few steps from the Hermitage you can visit the famous “Gardens of Mortella”, considered one of the ten most beautiful gardens in Europe.
The Hermitage can be accessed from the square in front of the church of San Francesco di Paola, through a wrought iron gate. A long covered patio with an ancient well, lined by beautiful wide arches, opens out to an irregular-shaped uncovered patio leading to the main staircase, with classic motifs in Piperno stone.
From the main staircase, a large, bright entrance leads to the main section of the hermitage, the Petrea apartment, formerly the residence of an early 20th century English peeress. It is positioned at the centre of the apartments like the pistil of a flower surrounded by the petals. The exposure of the hermitage to the west allows the beautiful sunsets to be seen from nearly all the apartments, as well as the outline of Ventotene Island on the horizon. Right after sunset, when the atmospheric conditions are right, you can see “the vanishing sunfrolic, amuse itself and emit a gentle, bewitching, fleeting ray of light: THE GREEN FLASH”.
Montevergine Hermitage offers its guests seven exclusive holiday accomodations, most of which have terraces and sea views. The apartments have characteristic names: Petrea, Galatea, Calypso, Nesea, Teti, Actea and Seaview Dome and vary in terms of size and layout, accommodating a minimum of two to a maximum of six guests.
Each renovated and furnished apartment has a cooking area with a fully equipped kitchen, satellite TV, Wi-Fi, air conditioning and private parking.
The apartments are managed by “Eremo di Montevergine Ischia Apartments”, created by a young entrepreneur from Naples, who revived a family tourist accommodation initiative in the house from the 1980s and ’90s, playing a personal role in the recent renovation work and transferring his expertise as the owner of an IT and home automation company to this business.
Actea, which is accessed via a staircase from the upper garden of the House, is the most secluded of the other apartments, with which it shares the top garden and the belvedere. Decorated in a simple but essential way, it is ideal for a family of four. The apartment is composed of:
• A double bedroom overlooking the panoramic terrace
• A full bath with shower
• A second bedroom with twin beds and a window overlooking an internal balcony. This second room features old wooden beams on view and was originally attached to the central part of the Hermitage.
• A large living room with two Forio-oriented windows and Punta del Soccorso. From it, you access a terrace on the west side of the bay of S. Francesco, where you can comfortably stay and admire the splendid sunset, the panorama of the bay and on the horizon the island of Ventotene and, in the evening, the lighthouse of Punta Emperor.
• A fully equipped separate kitchenette