The article says Hiero I of Syracuse built the first castle in 474 BC, with two towers, and the Romans captured it in 326 BC. In 1441 Alfonso V of Aragon built a stone bridge to replace an earlier wooden one and fortified the walls against pirate raids. The article names no architect or style, and gives the material as limestone on a volcanic islet.
Around 1700 about 2,000 families lived on the islet, with a convent, an abbey, a bishop's seminary and 13 churches. The Church of the Immacolata was built in 1737. Convents were suppressed in 1806. In 1809 British troops besieged the French-held island and shelled it to almost complete destruction.
A private owner bought it in 1912. A causeway and a tunnel lead to it, and the Ischia Film Festival is held there each year.
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