Museums of Ischia
Villa Arbusto and the Pithecusae Museum: Nestor's Cup
In Lacco Ameno, above the corso, Angelo Rizzoli's former villa now houses the archaeological museum of Pithecusae — the first Greek colony in the West. Its signature piece is Nestor's Cup.
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The villa
Built in the 18th century, bought in the 1950s by publisher Angelo Rizzoli when he turned Lacco Ameno into a set for Italian cinema. Today the villa and its park belong to the municipality and host the museum, a Rizzoli hall and a study centre.
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Pithecusae, the first colony
In the 8th century BC, Greeks from Chalcis founded Pithecusae here — the first Greek colony in the western Mediterranean. From Ischia, the alphabet spread to the Italian peninsula.
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Nestor's Cup
The museum's most famous piece: a small geometric-ware kotyle, found in Lacco Ameno's necropolis, bearing a three-line inscription in the Greek alphabet. Among the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions (~730 BC), it playfully quotes the cup of Homer's hero Nestor.
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The other rooms
Corinthian ceramics, jewellery, transport amphorae, artefacts from the Monte di Vico and Santa Restituta digs. One floor is devoted to the prehistoric eruption that shaped the island.
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Practical info
Villa Arbusto is a five-minute walk uphill from Corso Rizzoli. The ticket is inexpensive and covers both the museum and the panoramic park. Usually closed on Mondays; check the municipal website for current hours.