Our History

The Hotel San Francesco al Monte is the result of a project to rehabilitate and convert the left wing of the ancient monastery of Santa Lucia al Monte directed by the architect Luciano Raffin. The monastery’s dates from the 16th and began with the first single cell that Friar Augustine Miglionico of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, also known as the “Barbanti” for their flowing beards, carved in the side of the hill of San Martino, in an isolated area known as the mountain. Over time, the first cell became the Church of Saint Lucia Vergine e Martire, and a more extensive and organised religious complex grew alonside it on the side of the hill.

The project to adapt the ancient monastery, skillfully preserved fascinating and artistically important areas such as the Chapel of San Giovan Giuseppe della Croce, patron saint of Ischia, the Hall of the Oven and the frescoed Refectory. You can see fragments of frescoes, ancient majolica and decorations in every corner of the hotel.

The third floor also houses the cell where Giovan Giuseppe della Croce spent the last 12 years of his life. Remembered for the miracle of the apricots that grew around him even during the winter, he was beatified in 1789. That same year, his cell was turned into a votive chapel and, today, it is one of the most enchanting areas of the entire hotel.

In harmony with the history of the Convent and with the aim of making contemporary art more accessible, in collaboration with the Morra Foundation, an exhibition featuring works by national and international artists of the second half of the 20th century is set up from the hall to the third floor. Among them: Arman, Nanni Balestrini, Hermann Nitsch, Luca Maria Patella, Vettor Pisani, Paul Renner, Shozo Shimamoto, and the Neapolitan artists Renato Barisani, Carmine Di Ruggiero, Augusto Perez, Gianni Pisani, Errico Ruotolo, and Domenico Spinosa. Next to each artwork, you will find a QR code with its description and information about the artist.