The first time I visited Ischia, back in 2004, I was traveling with my mom and grandfather and I was in charge of the meals. My plan was to eat at a few of the fish restaurants near our accommodations in the Castello Aragonese, a fortress with ancient origins perched above the eastern part of the island. We enjoyed one particular place so much that we went back two days in a row. I’ll never forget the lecture we got from the chain-smoking proprietor, basically telling us we were doing it wrong. Sure, he was happy to have us, he explained, but we weren’t getting the full effect of Ischia if we stuck to the coast. He directed us to a restaurant in the center of the island, about a 20-minute taxi ride from the castello, and there we feasted on rabbit, which he had kindly reserved for us in advance. Ischia has been famous for rabbits since antiquity. In the past, farmers built trenches or caves for breeding and raising rabbits, which they would feed a diet of fruit tree trimmings, herbs, flowers, and hay. The custom is rarely practiced any longer, though you will find rabbit served at most restaurants and in every home on the island. Now most are raised commercially (though plenty of restaurants will lie and tell you they raise their own in caves) to meet demand.