A quietly idyllic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Ischia offers a heartwarming dose of Italian beauty, spirit and hospitality, with a generous splash of nostalgia for the Italy of yesteryear. Here, five-star hotels and luxurious thermal springs are juxtaposed with scenes of Italian grandmothers hanging out laundry, religious street parades, and kids strapped on the back of adults zooming by on Vespas.

Its unspoiled beaches have long been popular with Italians, but international visitors were more likely to be drawn to the glitzier shores of nearby Capri or the Amalfi Coast. Ischia, however, still has something which its more polished neighbors perhaps lack. You don't need to dig deep here to find the real Italy. Ischia is a little less manufactured, a little more in-your-face and ultimately, that little more authentic.