Ischia is one of the Phlegrean islands that are located in the Gulf of Naples, right across from the capitals coastline: its territory is characterized by a lush vegetation, beaches, rocky inlets, the thermal springs, like the one in Nitrodi and the others, that feed the many thermal centers of the island, starting from the marvelous Poseidon Gardens
This natural treasure has contributed to make the island of Ischia a hugely popular destination for a vacation on a national and international level, with celebrities like Charlie Chaplin, Richard Burton and Liz Taylor, that visited in the 50's and 60's.
The impressive fortress Castello Aragonese is the first to greet the tourists at arrival, a structure built by Alfonso of Aragon in 1441, accessible throughout a 400m long tunnel carved into the rock. Further on, there is the Soccorso Church in Forio, all in white, situated on top of a hill overlooking the sea and not far away you find the Torrione Tower of Forio, from where in old times the enemy aproaching from the sea could be spotted. Not to miss, the Sorgeto Bay, where it's possible to bathe in natural basins with hot springs welling up.
There is also another reason to come to the island of Ischia, in fact a valid one, if you are a dedicated Christian: Our Lady of Zaro, who has appeared repeatedly to visionaries to leave important messages full of spirituality and hope.
The last message from Our Lady of Zaro
If you decide to come to the island of Ischia to visit the location of the apparitions of Our Lady of Zaro, you should know that you will not find a sanctuary with a church there: rather you will see a small statue of the Virgin Mary set into a niche in the rock, surrounded by the Zaro forest, like a protection for this enchanting and mysitical place.
Everything started in 1994, when two families that were part of a prayer group decide d to take a trip to the Zaro Forest, in Forio d'Ischia: all of the sudden, according to his testimonial, a young man sees an apparition of the Virgin Mary, who predicts that this location would soon become a cult site. His brother has the same experience in the evening, and receives the same message from the Virgin, although she never shows her face ( in this case we speak of Charism of the Inner Locution, as opposed to Charism of the Rest of the Spirit, which enables to see the likeness of the Virgin Mary). This mystical experience happened also to other young people, even though nowadays only two women, Simona and Angela, are so fortunate, passing on the received messages two times, on the 8th and on the 26th day of each month.
At the beginning, the messages were always disclosed immediately, after a rosary prayer, like it is also done today: however from 1995 to 2013, under initiative of a pastor of the municipality of Lacco Ameno, the messages of the appearances were summarized and disclosed only on every 26th day of each following month.
The last message from Our Lady of Zaro dates back to December 26, in 2021: The visionary Simona describes an apparition of Virgin Mary, dressed in white and with a crown made of 12 stars, her welcoming arms open holding a rosary in her hand, that seemed being made of many beads of ice. Her feet were resting on the world, inviting the faithful to pray against corruption and the evil in the society. Also the other visionary Angela describes the last message of Virgin Mary received the same day in even more detail: she tells about having seen the world rotate wildly, showing scenes of violence, destruction and war. Suddenly however, the "Mother" covers the planet earth with her mantle and invites the Christians to pray, to remain faithful to the Bible and to say the Holy Rosary, which is considered a most powerful weapon against evil.
The most important messages from Our Lady of Zaro
All messages from Our Lady of Zaro given to the visionaries of Our Lady of Zaro are always ones of hope, even when they reveal a difficult reality and declare imminent catastrophes. Among the most relevant messages is the one from October 1995, which predicted Ground Zero, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11: the visionary Simona tells that she had seen the Statue of Liberty and two skyscrapers collapse. At the beginning, this message almost passed unnoticed until 2002, when it was recovered in an interview for the local newspaper "Il Golfo".
The message about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is also important: the visionary described the Saint Peter's Square and a mass, celebrated only by the pope and the cardinals.Suddelnly the pope bathes his hands in a golden bowl slipping off Saint Peter's ring and as he lifts them up to the sky, they seem soaked in blood.
In other messages revealed during the apparitions, the visionaries speak about a terrifying eathquake in California and about a war in the Holy Land between Hamas and Israel.
How to get to the Zaro Forest
The Zaro Forest is located in the north-western part of the island of Ischia, on a lava stream that was formed about 10.000 years ago. Especially in winter, it's not so easy to reach the site of the apparitions. Not without reason, the non-profit organization Our lady of Zaro was created in 2007, to protect the territory of the sacred site and to preserve the natural landscape of this small hill, immersed in total silence and over looking the sea that surrounds the whole island of Ischia.
If you are coming by car or by scooter, you should leave from Forio, precicely from the Belvedere of Punta Caruso, a sightseeing point from where you have a spectacular view of the San Francesco da Paola Beach, of the picturesque Soccorso Church and of Mount Epomeo.
Then you continue on the driveway until you reach the entrance to the beautiful Villa Gancia, whos gardens are a triumph of mediterranean and tropical plants. After passing the Villa La Colombaia, which was once the home of Luchino Visconti, you continue by foot into the forest until you get to the square where the chapel of Our Lady of Zaro is located.