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Questione di Famiglia
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A few minutes later we were at the base of the summit pinnacle. There was a bit of exposure above this point, and Elvira seemed a little hesitant to go further. However, I was having none of that, having come all this way only to stop just meters before the most scenic spot! A minute of very minor scrambling brought us to the very summit, where an Italian flag and a handful of other hikers were enjoying the view. In a couple of spots, the soft volcanic tuff of the summit had been carved into workable bench seats.
Summit Crags
View off of the summit
View north from summit
This was quite a nice mountaintop. It felt like a true summit, with no trees and with steep drops all around. The views, as one might imagine, were excellent and all-encompassing, with virtually all of the island of Ischia visible. Elvira seemed have gotten over her earlier trepidation and was enjoying the view.
Back along east ridge
Elvira on Epomeo
Green Tuff of Ischia
As you may recall, my original plan had been to traverse the island on foot, with the highpoint being Monte Epomeo. However, it was now well into mid-afternoon, and it was looking like we might be running out of time. Given that we didn't want to return to Avellino too late (we had a very early morning departure the next day and we still had to pack), we had to start thinking about getting back to the ferry. So, unfortunately, we decided to change plans and descend back to the ring road via the shortest way possible. Too bad; we could see the southwest ridge from the summit - part of my original itinerary - and it looked quite nice.
Epomeo's Western Flanks
A few tens of metres below the summit there is a small bar and restaurant. Downclimbing off of the summit, we decided to reward ourselves with a little bit of refreshment - two cans of cold Fanta.

We then started our descent back to the road, following the last part of our ascent route, then deviating onto the Via Epomeo / Via Militare, which led directly down to the main ring road (this, by the way, is the usual way hikers reach the summit). It took us only forty minutes to descent from the summit to the main ring road at Fontana using this route.
Post-summit Refreshments
Summit from below
Via Epomeo
Interactive Trackmap, Monte Epomeo Climb - click map to view
Interactive Trackmap, Monte Epomeo Climb - click to view
Monte Epomeo Climb, Hike Data
Start Time: 11:45a.m.
End Time: 3:46p.m.
Duration: 4h1m
Distance: 7.91 km (4.92 mi)
Average Speed: 2.0 km/hr (1.2 mph)
Start Elevation: 904ft (276m) *
Max Elevation: 2598ft (792m) *
Min Elevation: 904ft (276m) *
End Elevation: 1520ft (463m) *
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain: 1731ft (528m) *
Total Elevation Loss: 1145ft (349m) *
 
 
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
With our hike now over, all that remained was to take the various forms of transportation to get back to Avellino. We caught the next circolare sinistra bus (which fortunately came within minutes of our arrival), and we sat and watched as our skillful (and sometimes spirited) driver manage to squeeze the large bus around the highway's switchbacks and past oncoming buses. In some cases, the clearances were amazingly tiny.
Unimaginably tight squeeze
Unimaginably tight squeeze
Port of Ischia
It was a beautiful, warm, late-afternoon day at the port of Ischia, where we got off the bus and walked the short distance to the pier, where we purchased two tickets on the next ferry (this time with the Caremar company) heading back to Naples. This ferry, unlike the one that we had taken in the morning, had a beautiful open section of seats on the upper rear deck, and we seated ourselves up there in order to enjoy a scenic ride back to the city. We had superb views of the Aragonese Castle near Ischia Porto, much better views of the island of Procida [than we had had in the morning], and as we neared Naples, excellent views of the mainland coast and of Vesuvius. All in all, the ferry ride back was one of the scenic highlights of the day.
Aragonese Castle
Cliffs of Procida
Procida
Main Port, Procida
Castle, Procida
Procida-Ischia Silhouette
Guardia di Finanza
Vomero district of Naples
Mergellina Port
Enjoying the ferry ride
Vomero Hillside
Vesuvius from Naples
It was around a quarter to six in the evening by the time we glided into the main port of Beverello at Naples. With the car-park just metres away from our disembarcation point, we were in our car within minutes, and we were off through the traffic of the downtown, bound for Avellino. We were about halfway back when my Aunt Rosetta called, asking about our whereabouts. A good thing that we had not tried to complete our full walking itinerary, or we would have gotten back at an hour or two later (i.e. probably causing various people stress and consternation).
Caremar Ferry
Ferry and Volcano
The Ruby Princess
Interactive Trackmap, Ferry to Ischia and back - click map to view
Interactive Trackmap, Ferry to Ischia and back - click to view
Once safely back in Avellino, we spent the evening packing up and having an enjoyable final dinner with my Aunt. Meatballs, frittata, fresh salad, bread, and fruit. And all of it very tasty.

This final evening of visiting saw many of my cousins come for a final good-bye visit. In particular, my cousin Marco dropped by to say hi (Marco is cousin Gabriella's son, and was the cousin with whom I had failed to meet up with earlier in the week). We exchanged e-mail addresses and promised to keep in touch.
The Last Supper
Farewell to Zia Rosetta
Andrew and Marco
With the dinner and final visiting over, we said our final goodbye to Aunt Rosetta. She had been most gracious with us during our visit - accompanying us where needed, and making many delicious lunches and dinners for us. We thanked her profusely and retired for the night. Since we were leaving at 4 a.m. the next morning, we would not be seeing her again.
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[ Return to "Questione di Famiglia" Home page | Introduction | 2 Days 2 Avellino | Trail of the Pilgrims | Tale of two Casertas | All in the Family | La Costiera Amalfitana | A Perugini Day | Puglia | The Island of Ischia | Operation Escort | Even More Family Images | Supplemental Images | GPS Data ]


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