It is an old story, that one of the wine on the Ischia Island! It is a story of identity of an area that has its roots in the Mediterranean Sea, with the Greek colonists from Euboea, in the tenth century BC. They landed at the San Montano Bay to found their city, bringing with them the plant of the vine that, in the rich volcanic soil of Ischia, rooted beautifully. No one knows for sure if Ischia was the first Greek colony of the West, but without doubt the most northern. From the very beginning, Pliny tells us that because of the industry of clay pottery derives the oldest name of the island: Pithecusa, the vases island. And not by chance that a vase, a small skiphos, as archaeologists call it, the most important archaeological find of the necropolis of Pithecusa that dates back to the eighth century BC, was discovered in Lacco Ameno by the archaeologist Georgio Buchner. This is the so-called Cup of Nestor, engraved with the oldest written text found in the West:

"Of Nestor ... the good cup to drink from, but whoever drinks from this cup, will quickly be taken by the desire to love the beautiful crowned Aphrodite".

A graffito of three lines in hexameters verses, engraved with a stylus of bronze during the libations of a funeral ceremony, which alludes to the famous epic hero's cup, Nestor, described by Homer in his work, The Iliad. A clear testimony of the Epos knowledge, belonging to the Greek settlers. The ancient Pithecusa was a crossroads of international trade between the East and West. It can be said, therefore, that the documented history of writing is born in Ischia. And from here, through the Greek colonies and their trade, the alphabetic writing has spread among the people of Italy and the Etruscans with the ancient wisdom in the grapes harvesting, transforming them into the nectar of gods, the wine that has measured for millennia the island's history.

Today Ischia is a ripe area from the tourist point of view, a destination of great appeal, thanks to the hot springs, but it also wants to point to a seasonal adjustment of tourism that will last twelve months a year, absolutely to promote. In addition to its cultural and natural beauty, the tastes and knowledge of its land, become the attractors of an area still largely untouched.

Ischia is above all an island of land for its lush vegetation, and for this reason it has earned the nickname of Green Island. Therefore, it is important to rediscover their gardens located everywhere. Its more than 400 hectares of vineyards are used to produce wine of Ischia, one of the first wine in Italy to have the designation of origin. The peasant traditions of many islanders, who are still over 5000 members in the Farmers Confederation, represent the real value added for the tourism revival all year round. A revival aimed for balancing the tourism seasons in which strongly believes Maurizio Maddaloni, president of the Naples Chamber of Commerce, interviewed on the occasion of the Vinischia 2011 event.

The island of Ischia has a great added value to adjust seasonally the tourist offer: its cultural fields such as the Aragonese Castle, the Tower of Michelangelo, the Archaeological Museum of Villa Arbusto, Luchino Visconti's La Colomabia, 'La Mortella Gardens' but most of all tastes and knowledge of its food and wine that are not always promoted as they deserve. What strategies can be enhanced to improve the usability in every season of the year?

First, focusing on events that lengthen the tourist season. Making tourist and cultural attractions is a commitment to those who care about the future of the island, but also and above all of the institutions. The Naples Chamber of Commerce is at the forefront of this matter and we are helping to implement initiatives with high added value throughout the island. With local government, there is an ongoing dialogue about all issues concerning the development of tourism in general and tertiary.

In your Province, there are 4 Wine ways that aim for the creation and promotion of a joint and coordinated offer of local resources that, in addition to wine production, hugs, typical products, artistic and natural beauty, gastronomy, handicrafts, history, traditions and culture through a network, as cohesive as possible, of public and private actors.

What do they really need to represent the territory and its natural emanation?

We need first of all a direction and unique programme and events. The Chamber of Naples, for the institutional attitude is relentlessly committed to achieve the conditions for a new territorial governance. During the World Convention of Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad, held in Naples October 22 to 26, we launched a new model for tourism development, focusing on the institutional collaboration and the role of pivot to the Chambers entity.

The Wine-tourism is a segment of a broader field of rural tourism. Can it have a positive impact not only on farms but also on the whole territory?

Certainly. Provided, however, that wine tourism is included in the planning and promotion of tourism activities by the responsible institutions. But we notice too many delays in the definition and enactment of a bylaw with respect to tourism. Currently there is too much fragmentation in promoting and also the wine- tourism is relegated, wrongly, in the niche of the offers for a limited number of tourists-clients.

What does the success of a wine way depend on, beyond the destinations and routes, to attract the wine - tourist?

Certainly it depends on the ability to create an event to mark in red on the calendar of events with high added value. In this way it is important to aggregate even and especially the tourist offer relative to the wine in order to implement initiatives throughout the year and in collaboration with local institutions.

There are 20 million Italians say, according to a report of Censis, have done some tourist activities related to wine and gastronomy of the area while not considering themselves experts. How can you attract in this area of competence a very army of holidaymakers, respecting the product of our land?

The Chamber of Commerce can be an example of how to implement cross-cutting initiatives. A tourist event tied to the land and the wine, must necessarily involve the associations representing producers, growers, but also traders and those who deal with the marketing of tourist products. We need teamwork, without grandstanding but taking decisions shared with local operators. We need a new step, and I still want to emphasize it strongly, to rethink about the politics of tourism. It is important to start from the territory, the vocations of the individual localities, focusing on diversity and the ability to stretch and strengthen the offering.

And then, according to Censis, there is a universe in a state of ferment! A universe of women, more and more attracted, about 25%, to the diversified world wine - tourism that, as we think, should be able to promote tourist packages dedicated to the fair sex.

If, as established in the choice of a location, there is almost always a female input, and then we welcome all initiatives aimed at involving the fair sex. In many European countries is already present a strong market of single women. And the island of Ischia in particular, is an ideal destination for the thermal offer of natural beauty and quality entertainment.