Couldn't resist....

The French film, Villa Amalia - filmed in Ischia

Over 20 movies filmed in Ischia

Producers of internationally successful movies have long been coming to film on the island of Ischia, most frequently in the ancient borgo of Ischia Ponte, where for instance Anthony Minghella shot most of “The Talented Mr Ripley”. In recent years, Ischia's scenery has proven to be a popular backdrop for TV shows such as Italy's version of Top Gear and a few of Bud Spencer's latest productions.

During the last week of June each year Ischia Ponte is the setting for the Ischia Film Festival, an international event dedicated to location cinema - www.ischiafilmfestival.it . In July the Ischia GlobalFest, a celebration of Film and Music, takes place in Lacco Ameno. www.ischiaglobal.com

  

If you're curious to take a look at some of the films which gave Ischia it's brush with fame, try Amazon.com or IBS.it:


1937 - Il Corsaro nero (It.). Amleto Palermi
1937 - Il Dottor Antonio (It.). Enrico Guazzoni
1949 - Campane a martello (It.) Luigi Zampa
1950 - Il Mulatto (It.). Francesco De Robertis
1950 - La Scogliera del peccato (It.). Roberto Bianchi Montero
1952 – The Crimson Pirate (USA). Robert Siodmak - (Burt Lancaster, Eva Bartok)
1953 - Il Mostro dell'isola (It.). Roberto Bianchi Montero
1954 - Lacrime d'amore (It.). Pino Mercanti
1956 - Suor Letizia/Il più grande amore (It.). Mario Camerini
1957 - Vacanze a Ischia (It.-Fr.-RFT). Mario Camerini
1958 - Sissi a Ischia/Scampolo. Alfred Weidenmann
1959 – Purple Noon (Plein soleil) (Fr.). René Clément - (Alain Delon)
1960 - Appuntamento a Ischia (It.). Mario Mattòli
1960 - Morgan il pirata (It.). Primo Zeglio
1962 - Diciottenni al sole (It.). Camillo Mastrocinque
1963 - Cleopatra (USA). Joseph L. Mankiewicz - (Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton)
1966 - After the Fox (It.-USA-GB). Vittorio De Sica - (Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland)1966 - Ischia operazione amore (It.). Vittorio Sala 
1972 – Avanti (USA). Billy Wilder - (Jack Lemmon, Juliet Mills)
1976 - La Professoressa di scienze naturali (It.). Michele Massimo Tarantini
1977 - La Vergine, il Toro e il Capricorno (It.). Luciano Martino
1985 - Una tenera follia (It.). Ninì Grassia
1998 - Il Commissario Raimondi (TV). Paolo Costella
1999 - Cient'anne (It.). Ninì Grassia
1999 - The Talented Mr. Ripley (USA). Anthony Minghella - (Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law)
2001 - Se lo sai sono guai (It.). Michele M. Tarantin
2003 – Suddenly Paradise (It.) Leonardo Pieraccioni
2005 - Un estate al mare
2008 - Villa Amalia
2009 - I delitti del cuoco (TV)

Ischia Poetry Retreat with well-known Canadian poet, Lorna Crozier

Ischia Poetry Workshop: May 3-7th , 2012

Lorna Crozier is one of Canada's most beloved and talented poets, and a wonderful teacher. She is a recent recipient of the Order of Canada and is a recognized Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. 

THE ISCHIA WORKSHOP: A Note From Lorna
This three-day workshop in the beautiful setting of Ischia will be all about inspiration. We’ll get together, soak up the sun and let the sounds of the ocean seduce us into the music of poetry. I’ll be your guide and facilitator, but the most important part of such a workshop will be what we share with one another. Creativity spawns creativity. My goal is to help you find your stories and to propel you into writing new work, poetry that matters to you and to other people. I’ll be giving you writing prompts, some to generate in-class writing and some for you to take away and work on during the day. As well, I’ll spend a couple of hours every day discussing issues of craft, such things as diction, meter, line structure, and form. Though you’ll be working hard, we’ll make sure there’s time to walk the beach, taste the local cuisine and renew yourself. When you leave the island to return home, you will have poems in your pocket, ones you can work on over the next several weeks. I can’t wait to leave my island (Vancouver Island) for this one and to work and play with you.
Bring pen and paper, a few favourite poetry books, and your laptop, if you have one

Cost of the Workshop: $425 CAD (325 Euros)

For registration and for information about the practical side of the retreat, please contact Lynette Shultz directly at lshultz@ualberta.ca

The workshop will be taking place in and around Forio on the Colella Family premises. Accommodation is available from 55euro pp/day including a light breakfast and dinner. Please contact Giuseppe for bookings: info@larotondasulmare.com or info@hotelpoggiodelsole.com 

Tanning Secrets of the Med

Ever wondered how the beach goers of the Med turn that golden bronzed colour? It not only has something to do with the sun and mild UV (apart from August where you may feel the need the for higher spf  protection).

Husk of Walnut Oil aka Olio Mallo di Noce.
The husk is the fleshy part produced by the  plant which is covering the fruit itself. The nuts we commonly buy at the supermarket are not quite how you would find them on the trees - they have been stripped from the husk and dried, roasted or salted. The true walnut (or endocarp) is in fact wrapped by a layer pulposus, the husk (or mesocarp), in turn covered by a peel (or exocarp).

The walnut is traditionally used as a colouring and flavouring in the production of liqueurs (walnut liqueur). Interesting however are the health benefits stemming from this natural colourant and the structures of the oils. The oil extracted from the husk has been traditionally used in protecting the skin from the sun as well as to promote tanning. The extent to which the oil is able to perform these functions relies on the natural compounds naphthoquinones (Vitamin K compound) and juglone (aromatic compound present in naphthoquinones) found present in the cells which make up the husk. When applied these substances react with the keratin present in hair and epidermis of the skin, creating a complex brown pigmentation, explaining the use of walnut shells as a hair dye for red-brown reflections.

Immediately after application your skin will begin to look tanned purely due to the pigmenting effects of the oil properties. Once in the presence of ultraviolet radiation, the chemical complex naphthoquinone - keratin  acts as selective filter, helping  to shield the skin from the UVB rays as well as accelerating the melanogenesis (production of melanin) induced by UVA rays. For this reason the walnut oil is extensively used in the formulation of suncare products.

The juglone present in the walnut husk and leaves of the tree is equipped with allelopathic properties (a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms - wikipedia), and thus is able to condition the growth and development of other living organisms; in particular, the juglone prevents the growth of the other botanical species with which it comes into contact, for instance: juglone is also able to inhibit fungal growth as well as exhibit antibacterial properties. And so in addition to its pigmenting properties, the walnut husks are recognized as an antiseptic, vermifuge and keratinizing.

So now you know!

My recommendation: Kodrap Olio al mallo di noce - approx. 4euro a bottle in stores.

Best Beaches

Ischia Island boasts some of the most beautiful sandy beaches in the Italy. Clean, white, soft sand, calm sea waters, fresh water with temps ranging between 21 and 24 degrees celcius (70 farenheit). Most bays are secluded and often you can scout around for the smaller, more private ones if you are looking to get away from the crowds. Beaches are public, however there are a few spots where locals rent parts of the beach and hire out lounge chairs and umbrellas (prices start at 10euro for the day). Its well worth it if you plan to spend the day as there are ablutions provided such as showers, toilets and changing cubicles, and your umbrella will provide some much needed shade. By law, each beach on the island offers public sections where the beach is free for all.

First off, we have the beaches of Forio. The west coast beaches begin filling up around 10am so I recommend heading down around 9.30 to grab your chairs and umbrellas. The beach of Chiaia is very popular with families and parents of small children. The bay is protected by rocky barriers making the shoreline even calmer. The shoreline is rather shallow and you'll find women and kids sitting on the edge in the lapping waters. There are restaurants lining the boardwalk and takeaway kiosks on either end selling wonderfully refreshing granita (try the famous limone - made with freshly squeezed lemons) and paninis. Further on towards the cliff-side of the bay lies the beach of San Francesco (named so after the Saint Francesco of whose church sits perched up on the hillside overlooking the bay). Quaint and much quieter than the Chiaia, San Francesco bay is lined with many 4 to 5 star hotels and resorts. The snorkeling is wonderful along the cliff side.

Note: August is peak season and the national summer holidays. I would recommend working around this time when planning your visit to Ischia to avoid the crowds and the intense heat.

Submissions open for Ischia Film Festival 2012

If you are the owner/producer/writer/actor of an independent film or short-film, documentary or music video, and would like to have your shot at being considered in this years Ischia Film Festival, submit your entry to ischiafilmfestival.it and fill in the online form.

Entries close 30 April 2012. Please don't hesitate to contact me for assistance.