By Steve Bergsman

When my wife and I were leaving the bed-and-breakfast where we had been staying in Sorrento, Italy, the owner asked where we were headed next.

"To the island of Ischia," we said.

To which she responded, "Why? Americans don't go to Ischia."

Indeed, they don't usually, unless they're famous. Most Americans looking for an island break after they've traveled along the scenic Amalfi Coast head for the more famous Isle of Capri.

We stuck to our original plan. As for the Isle of Capri, we got to see itin the distance from the volcanic peak of Ischia, more than 2,000 feet up. I waved, and then I turned to view the Mediterranean Sea northeast of the island and waved to Mount Vesuvius, again in the far distance.

. Ischia, a volcanic island, was first settled by Greeks who were attracted to itsnatural ports and thermal pools. Soon afterward came the Romans, who created towns and built great baths wherever they found thermal springs along the roads to newly conquered lands.

The Romans thought thermal pools to be good for the body and soul, and that tradition followed through the Middle Ages and Renaissance and on to modern times. Ischia attracted nobility, wallowed in decline and returned to popularity, only to be eclipsed one more time. In the modern era, it was construction of the hotel L'Albergo della Regina Isabella that brought on the island's most ballyhooed era of fame and fortune when the jet-setters of the world came.

In the early 1950s, famed Italian publishing mogul Angelo Rizzoli was persuaded to invest in the island. He tore down an existing hotel and built the original iteration of this one, the Hotel Regina Isabella and Royal Sporting. It was the first luxury hotel on the island.

Rizzoli was also involved in the Italian cinema, producing many films that include Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" and "8 1/2." Naturally his hotel started attracting the beautiful people of Europe, from actress Sophia Loren to opera singer Maria Callas.

That's when Americans such as Clark Gable, Ava Gardener and William Holden first came to Ischia.

The most famous incident happened around the filming of the movie "Cleopatra," when its volatile stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, came to the Regina Isabella for rest and relaxation. According to legend, the two fought so outrageously that one day Taylor took all of Burton's clothes and threw them out of the window and into the sea. Burton soon left for Naples, where he bought a huge emerald ring and then returned to the Regina Isabella and gave it to Taylor.

As an "in" location, Ischia and Regina Isabella had lost their luster by the 1980s, except for exotic turns such as the filming of "The Talented Mr. Ripley," which was partly shot at the hotel where American stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon were guests.

Ordinary Americans never came. Indeed, my wife and I stayed three nights at the Regina Isabella, and once my photographer buddy and his wife left the island, we were the only Americans at the hotel, which was completely full for the weekend.

What most people do on the island, which in some regards looks like any other sun-dappled beach resort, is luxuriate. An older European crowd comes to take the waters at the numerous thermal pools and natural springs. My wife and I followed suit. Every day we went down to Regina Isabella's wonderful spa, where we floated in the naturally heated thermal pool, but some preparation was required beforehand. We had to shower and adorn ourselves with plastic bathing caps before entering the water. Once there we learned that most folks in the pool liked to hang about chatting with neighbors. However, it's also possible to activate jets for pulsating treatments or exercise while holding the water barre.

Afterward we either took the sauna or the steam before heading to the hotel's seashore and outdoor pool, where we sat, read, sunbathed and had our afternoon cappuccino.

Not everything we did was so indulgent. On the way from the ferry stop to the hotel our chatty taxi driver, Vincenzo, offered to give us a tour of the island — for a fee, of course. The very next day we took him up on his offer.

The island is erratically oblong-ish and completely dominated by the volcanic cone at its core, so touring the island is basically a circumnavigation. The flat lands are dominated by the island's small cities, and then the rest of the island topography consists of dramatic rises, mountainsides, cliffs and ravines, with spurts of population throughout, often clinging to precariously steep hillsides.

Vincenzo loved the high overviews where we could see the island en toto. The road offered plenty of those opportunities as it moved inland away from the coast and across the high country through the caldera of the ancient volcano that formed the island.

Not to be missed are Porto di Ischia and nearby Ponte Ischia with its Old World buildings leading to the bridge, which brings the mainland to the harbor island and the Castello Aragonese. Another spot we liked was the peninsula and small town of Sant' Angelo, where the streets are too narrow for cars.

Nearby to the Regina Isabella are a couple of museums, but for the adventurous (walking the narrow streets of Ischia can be an adventure!) a 20-minute walk toward the town of Forio brings one to the beautiful gardens built by the British composer William Walton and his wife Susana. Called Giardini La Mortella, the gardens feature numerous idiosyncratic structures, from fountains and temples to statues and memorials to a Greek Theater and Thai Pavilion.

The highlight for me was the pond near the Victoria House. I looked deep into the vines on the far side of the pond and saw a face in the rock with water spilling from its mouth. It was like something from "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

WHEN YOU GO

Since we had been traveling along the Amalfi Coast, we took a ferry to the Island of Ischia from the picturesque city of Sorrento. Going back we were heading elsewhere, so we took a different ferry, this one to Naples. Ferry rides take about an hour: www.ok-ferry.com/en/ischia-island-ferries.aspx.

I stayed at the five-star L'Albergo della Regina Isabella. To get there from the ferry port is a 20-minute taxi ride. While not an inexpensive hotel, it's located in a lovely setting and walking distance to the amenities of Lacco Ameno: www.reginaisabella.com.

Shoppers attend a market in the Village of Sant' Angelo, Ischia, off the coast of Italy. Photo courtesy of Steve Bergsman.

A man constructs fishing nets in Sant' Angelo, Ischia, off the coast of Italy. Photo courtesy of Steve Bergsman.

Steve Bergsman is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.