One of our first destinations on our second trip, this time to the Southern part of Italy, we headed for the island of Ischia, to discover its beaches and especially one of its thermal baths, with finishing up our visit of the island in the beautiful gardens La Mortella.
The focus of our studio being thermal complexes, we headed for the Poseidon thermal bath complex first. Much larger than Peter Zumthor’s baths in Vals, the layout and overall approach was dramatically different, showing us yet another contemporary solution to this theme. Perhaps the location was also dramatically different, that is, on the mountain coast of the island. This thus presented a complex with an incredible variety of site situations, from beach all the way up to a small cave used as a steam room.
We eventually departed for the gardens of La Mortella. A beautiful example of landscaping, where a presumably simple mountain side is transformed into an amazing terraced garden with water running through it, made the visit all much worth it.
Some of us also stopped in the tea room to get something to drink and with the sun slowly setting down, we departed on our ferry back to the Italian peninsula, to get some rest at our hotel.
(photos credit to Ihwa Choi)