Panza ''(sometimes Panza d'Ischia)'' is a small town of 7,000 inhabitants on the island of

Ischia Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately east to west ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is a hamlet (''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'') of the municipality of

Forio Forio (known also as ''Forio of Ischia'') is a town and ''comune'' of c. 17,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Naples, southern Italy, situated on the island of Ischia. Overview Its territory includes the town of Panza, the only ''frazio ...

Name

According to archaeological discoveries the place was so named by the first

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

colonists in the 8th century BC astounded by the rich variety of the flora and fauna. They settled and founded a small farm ready to colonize all the island founding the first western Greek

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

Pithecusae Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately east to west ...

. After the Roman conquest of the Island, the village was named Pansa Vicus, from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

verb ''pandere'' namely ''outstretched in the sun''. In

Neapolitan language , altname = , states = Italy , region = Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Marche, Molise , ethnicity = ''Mezzogiorno'' Ethnic Italians , speakers = 5.7 million , date ...

the word ''panza'' means

belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, cen ...

, in a variant of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

word ''pancia''.

Overview

The bay, not far from the center of the modern village, is a suggestive places within the island. Set among two promontories, the inlet offers a show of natural wild scenery and, to lines, hostile. The access in the bay is given by an ample staircase that counts 214 steps, but it is possible to also reach Sorgeto by sea. The bay of Sorgeto is world-famous for its hot mineral springs. Different thermal veins flow in fact along the whole bay, but it is from a single spring that water always gushes out with impetus and in abundance. The temperature of the water reaches 90 °C and mixes itself with the salty water of the sea so to create natural tubs of different temperature gradations. In the 16th century a Calabrian physician, G. Jasolino, first examined the thermo-mineral waters that according to Jasolino had varied curative effects:''beneficial to the gouts, to the frigidity and the sterility''.

Citara

One of the most interesting areas is the bay of

Citara Citara ( it, Spiaggia di Citara) is a beach located in Forio d'Ischia, in the Ischia island of Italy, near Punta Imperatore and the village of Panza. Its name comes from Romans who consecrated the site to Venus Citarea, whose statue made of white ...

with its famous thermal gardens ''Poseidon''. 22 pools (Thermal, Kneipp, and ocean-water) have been installed according to latest technical and medical knowledge. The water temperature varies from 28 °C to 40 °C (82 °F to 104 °F ). The abundance of water means that it is constantly renewed. A Roman

Sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

and a large private beach is equipped with deck-chairs and beach umbrellas, various restaurants one situated in a

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

of local

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

stones and a boutique with a newspaper kiosk are provided by this establishment.

Name

Overview

Citara

Transportation

References

External links