Farm

In the fields of the “Crateca” farm, following the changing of the seasons, you can admire a triumph of vegetables to be picked by hand: potatoes, zucchini, salads, onions, garlic, spices, peppers, aubergines, different varieties of tomatoes.
These are the ingredients that enhance the taste of tradition that the cooks at the Hotel Terme La Pergola transform daily into simple and genuine dishes.

Crateca is a promontory between 250 and 450 meters above sea level, at the foot of Epomeo in the locality of Fango a Lacco Ameno, on which the winery Cantine di Crateca has been built. It extends for 5 hectares, is cultivated with vineyards, vegetable garden and orchard and you can enjoy one of the most beautiful shows of the island of Ischia. This show was staged by the brothers Arnaldo, Piergiovanni and Giampaolo Castagna, entrepreneurs who have chosen to invest in the highest tradition of the island’s agriculture to return that area of spectacular beauty to its original vocation. The soil is of excellent quality, as it has a strong minerality and is loose: the vine loves this type of soil that allows its roots, which reach as deep as 3-4 meters, to run through it to find water.

For centuries the Crateca estate has been dedicated to vineyards: the Fango area is, in fact, one of the most suitable for the cultivation of vines and the careful work of recovery has allowed the estate to return to its former glory.

The perfectly recovered dry-stone walls frame an exceptional rural setting: vineyard and vegetable garden have been redesigned with the mastery of the highest peasant tradition and the production of vegetables, salads, artichokes, courgettes, tomatoes, onions, aubergines and fruit trees alternate according to the rhythm of the seasons.

The wine cellar is located in the old farmhouse built with the characteristic grey-green stone of the place and contains all the warm and welcoming atmosphere that only the old Ischian wine cellars can convey. Very pleasant in summer when it is very cool, as in spring and autumn when you can gather around the hearth where Giampaolo Castagna personally prepares the dishes for his guests.

All guests of the La Pergola spa hotel can take part in excursions and visits to the Crateca Wineries, followed by tastings and culinary meetings that are organized every week.