The town of Forio, at the heart of its Comune on the western side of the island,
has a small port that offers year-round hydrofoil connections with Naples.

In the C14th and 15th the inhabitants built a series of large towers to defend themselves from Saracen
pirates. The largest of them all, Il Torrione - just off the main square - is today a civic art museum.

In the late 40s Forio was a popular escape for an international group of artists and writers - among
them W.H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, Tennessee Williams, and Truman Capote.

More recently, the area has become more widely popular, thanks to both the magnificent
beach at Citara and a particularly pleasant microclimate.

The Comune also includes the village of Panza, often visited by the amazing band of the army's Bersaglieri
regiment, and - on the Zara headland - the wonderful gardens created by Lady Walton at "La Mortella".

Click on the pictures for a larger size - most have captions and a few details....