Il Monastero: A Converted Convent Hotel on Ischia's Castello Aragonese
Il Monastero, a 19-room hotel on the Castello Aragonese in Ischia, Italy, occupies a former convent founded in 1575 for Clarisse nuns. The castle, purchased from the Italian state in 1912 by lawyer Nicola Ernesto Mattera for 25,000 lire, has been restored over generations by the Mattera family. The hotel retains original features like whitewashed walls, vaulted ceilings, and blue majolica floors. Artworks by family friend artists and painter Gabriele Mattera are displayed throughout. The property includes loStudio, a shop for Italian art and craft, and a garden transformed from the former hortus conclusus. Guests access the hotel via a 230-meter bridge and an elevator through volcanic rock. The hotel originated in the 1970s when travelers were given sheets and candles to sleep in the abandoned convent.
Key facts
- Il Monastero is a hotel on Castello Aragonese in Ischia.
- The convent was founded in 1575 for Clarisse nuns.
- The castle was purchased in 1912 by Nicola Ernesto Mattera for 25,000 lire.
- The hotel has 19 rooms and two suites.
- Access is via a 230-meter bridge and an elevator through volcanic rock.
- The Mattera family has restored the castle over three generations.
- Gabriele Mattera's paintings hang throughout the hotel.
- The hotel began in the 1970s with rudimentary hospitality.
Entities
Artists
- Gabriele Mattera
- Karin Mattera
- Anna Cristina Mattera
- Nicola Ernesto Mattera
Institutions
- Il Monastero
- Castello Aragonese
- loStudio
- C41 Magazine
Locations
- Ischia
- Italy
- Castello Aragonese
- Procida
- Vivara
- Campanian coast
- Mediterranean