Forio

Forio (known also as "Forio of Ischia") is a town and "comune" of c. 17,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Naples, southern Italy, situated on the island of Ischia.
Overview.
Its territory includes the town of Panza, the only "frazione" of Forio and of the island of Ischia. Panza has always been an independent village since the 16th century when a first governmental organization was introduced on the island. In the 1975 the inhabitants of Panza tried to become an independent "comune" but the referendum, claimed by the inhabitants of Forio, was denied by the Campania's Regional Government.
There are numerous coastal watchtowers, built from the Middle Ages against Saracen and African pirates raids.