The Poseidon gardens above Citara bay

Thermal water is the reason Ischia has been visited for two thousand years, and the Giardini Poseidon at Citara are the largest of the island's thermal parks: a hillside of stone-edged pools at different temperatures, set among palms, bougainvillea and terraces, dropping down to a private stretch of the bay.

For a photographer the value is architecture in a garden — curved pool edges, steps, arches and planting arranged up a slope, with the sea always at the bottom of the frame. It photographs like a set, and unlike a public beach it is tidy, so the background stays clean.

Citara bay faces west, which makes this the sunset side of Ischia. The last hour turns the water in the pools orange and puts the palms into silhouette against the sea; earlier in the day the upper terraces give shade and the light comes from behind the hill.

The park is ticketed, opens seasonally — roughly from spring to the middle of autumn — and closes in winter. It is a working spa with other guests in swimwear, so an organised shoot needs asking first: check the season, the day's hours and the park's own rules on photography before booking a session here rather than on the public beach at Citara below.