It was given to him by the Benedictine monks who built an abbey there, known as Sancti Angeli alloquio, which soon became the centre of the cult of Saint Michael the Archangel. The monks began growing olive trees and vines along the sides of the volcanic dome in the internal part, wheat and legumes in the southern part, more exposed to the sun.
The name of Sant'Angelo also identifies the fishing village that gradually formed on the large island. Protected by the islet, which had already been used as a sighting place in ancient times. Due to its favorable position, the Aragonese built a tower from which they controlled a large stretch of sea and from which alarms were raised with fires and smoke in case of sighting of hostile ships.
What unites the Torre islet to the island is the sandy isthmus with the beach overlooking a fiery sunset. Here, in the summer, life buzzes at every hour of the day, among the numerous bars and restaurants on the sea.
On the other side of the isthmus, the characteristic small port preserves the seafaring soul of the village caressed by the sun. From here we start to reach Maronti beach and its famous fumaroles from the sea. And every day the freshest load of night fishing arrives.
The houses with an unmistakable Mediterranean style form the backdrop to the tourist and fishing port. The joined roofs once offered safe escape routes during frequent pirate attacks. Today, however, they contain the shopping streets and the places of taste.
In the pedestrian oasis, among the alleys that intertwine creating picturesque corners colored by local ceramics, one encounters traces of illustrious visitors. Among those, Pablo Neruda, who stayed here with his beloved Matilde in the summer of 1952, finding inspiration for his poetry.
Since the 1930s, the Peace of Sant'Angelo had attracted German artists fleeing from Nazi Germany: Gilles and Neujahr, among many. In the shadow of the Tower, as the entire islet was familiarly called, they found the Mediterranean light and the views that became the protagonists of many of their works. In recent times, it was Chancellor Merkel who often chose the village for her quiet and private summer holidays.
It was at the end of 1808, in the midst of the Napoleonic era, that the English fleet allied with the Bourbons attacked the fortress of Sant'Angelo, hitting it irreparably with its cannons. In the Tower, the ammunition depot caught fire, blowing up the Aragonese structure and much of the nearby abbey.
Climbing the hill behind the town centre, you can admire the Maronti bay, which can be reached via a path or from the sea.
The church of Sant'Angelo, built in 1850 to replace the Abbey church on the Tower, has become the center of the cult of San Michele Arcangelo, whose statue is kept inside, together with a valuable painting depicting the Assumption, which recalls how the original church was named after the Assumption. The venerated statue of the Patron Saint every year, on September 29th, is the protagonist of an evocative procession of boats on the sea up to the Maronti.
An important seaside resort with its sandy beaches, a meeting and walking place, a prestigious location for events and concerts, a popular meeting place on summer evenings, a social lounge, Sant'Angelo is an unmissable stop for anyone arriving on the island of Ischia. In every season.
