Procida

Procida is a small island in the Gulf of Naples, located between the mainland and the larger island of Ischia.

Procida is densely populated, with 10,000 residents packed into less than two square miles, and has a more authentic, lived-in feel than Capri and Ischia. The island doesn’t have many special attractions, and unfortunately it seems to neglect the ones it does have.

This can be frustrating for travelers, who would be better advised to come for the island’s quaint, slightly run-down charm than for cultural attractions.

Procida can be visited as a day trip, leaving enough time to see the best sights and enjoy a nice meal on the harbor, or as a longer stay with time to relax on the beach. Like “Capri,” “Procida” is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable.

Procida’s charm has led to it being featured in numerous films, including the classics Il Postino and The Talented Mr Ripley. It has also been used as a literary setting, most notably in Elsa Morante’s 1957 novel L’Isola di Arturo, which I would recommend reading before visiting.

Procida has frequent ferry services from Naples and Ischia, and has many good hotels and B&Bs at prices more affordable than other Italian beauty spots. Procida is of volcanic origin, and many of its curved bays still resemble craters.

The rocky coastline is all ‘outside and in’, and although there are a few places where you can walk along the coast, or get an overview of the island, it can be difficult to get a sense of Procida’s geography once you’re actually on the island.

On the island’s north-east coast is the main urban hub, Procida Porto, where ferries and small buses dock, which run around the island’s road network. The oldest part of the settlement is here, on a high defensive promontory.

The rest of the island is quite built up, although there is also a lot of small-scale agriculture producing fruit and vegetables. Residential housing is scattered across the island, but at the southern end of Procida there is another, more concentrated settlement, called Chiaiolella. A small, curved islet, called Vivara, lies next to Procida; it is now a nature reserve.

Getting around Procida
Procida is small enough to walk most distances on the island. However, its narrow streets are busy and in places pedestrians have to squeeze against the high walls when cars and buses pass.

It is best to get around using the island’s small buses, which run frequently. These leave from the church harbour side of the main harbour, with a bus stop near the ferry dock.

You can buy tickets from the driver, although it is cheaper to buy them in advance at a bar or tobacconist – if you are staying on the island, it is worth buying a book of tickets to save on travel.

Port
Visitors disembarking from ferries arrive first at the Port. A road runs along the harbour from the ferry dock to a marina, passing the island’s main church, Santa Maria della Pietà.

Along the landward side of the road are shops, restaurants and bars, with the rest of the town built on the slopes behind. This is a pleasant enough settlement and useful for shopping and eating.

From the church, a picturesque little road climbs upwards to a crossroads where you turn left to climb up to Terra Murata.

Terra Murata and St Michael’s Abbey
Above the harbour is the highest and most defensive cliff on the island, the site of the oldest settlement, a fortress, a monastery and – until recently – a prison.

Climbing through two stone gates, you reach a picturesque settlement that is still inhabited, Terra Murata, meaning “walled land”. There are superb views from the road up the walls and from a panoramic terrace looking out over the Gulf of Naples.

If you don’t fancy walking uphill through the town, you can take the C2 bus from the port to the outer walls of the promontory.

This is an atmospheric place, although the most important buildings here, the old prison and the religious ruins on the cliffs, stand empty and in ruins. One site open to the public is the Abbazia di San Michele, the Abbey of St. Michael.

The Abbey is a curious and intriguing building, and well worth a visit. The main church is full of works of art, including many representations of the Archangel Michael, venerated as the savior of Procida. The atmosphere is romantically decayed; the abbey suffers from a chronic lack of funding. A guided tour continues through the lower levels of the abbey, built into the cliffs.

Attractions include a dusty library, historic nativity scenes (recently stolen, then partially recovered), and the macabre spot where important corpses were hung to dry and mummify. Skulls decorate a small chapel, while creaking windows open onto the blue sea.

It’s an atmospheric tour, ripe with history and neglect.

Corricella
The most picturesque and charming spot on the island of Procida is Marina della Corricella. This is a thin strip of seafront backed by a cliff of fishermen’s houses – at least, that’s the colorful impression.

Behind a long fishing port, the houses have been built into and over the rock in a kind of rather vertical chaos. There are several bars and restaurants at Corricella, with tables pleasantly scattered along the seafront, interspersed with painted fishing boats and harbor cats hidden among piled nets.

Despite the settlement’s obvious tourist appeal, it still has an “authentic” feel, like much of Procida. This is a wonderful place for a lazy lunch or romantic dinner with the water lapping nearby. Unfortunately it is a bit far from the nearest bus lines, and you have to climb up alleys or stairs to leave the settlement, but it is worth it.

If you have just visited Terra Murata, you can take a staircase down to Corricella from the road leading to the promontory.

Marina di Chiaiolella

Chiaiolella (a real mouthful of a name) is at the tip of the island, reached by buses L1 and L2.

The village is pleasant without being wildly picturesque. Its most attractive feature is its location, on a narrow strip of land with a beach on one side and a pretty harbour on the other. This means you can enjoy a pleasant short circular walk along the seafront.

Chiaiolella harbour has been transformed into a large leisure marina, which comes alive on summer weekends when Italian families disembark from their yachts for a meal or a stroll or chat over meals on board.

It is also a working fishing port, and picking your way through the piles of nets along the jetty leads to an odd colony of cats and ducks, as well as a fine view of the sunset over the marina. The beach is the best on the island (more below). The long stretch of sand is backed by various beach bars and restaurants, a narrow road and beyond, shacks and vegetable gardens.

It’s a strange, rather scruffy, but attractive atmosphere. The main street of Chiaiolella runs towards the harbour and has a decent selection of small shops. There are two or three restaurants and bars along the harbourside, a place where you can see the atmosphere go from dead to buzzy in the space of two hours.

Tourist signs point from Chiaiolella to the small island of Vivara, linked to Procida by a long, narrow bridge. However, despite the publicity of this nature reserve, the island has been closed to the public for years – although “unofficial” visitors do of course climb over the fence next to the padlocked access gate.

Beaches

Procida has several beaches, of varying quality. The closest beach to the harbour is a few minutes’ walk to the right as you disembark the ferry.

There is another small beach on the opposite side of the large marina, with steps leading up to the old part of town. Although quite popular, none of these beaches are terribly attractive.

There is a better beach halfway along the length of the island, on the eastern shore beyond Corricella. This beach, called Chiaia, can be reached on foot, down a long flight of steps from Corso Vittorio Emanuele. On the northwest shore of the island is Cala del Pozzo Vecchio, a scenic round bay beneath the cliffs, where part of Il Postino was filmed.

The downside is that the cliffs above the narrow beach mean that the sand is in the shade for part of the day. Pozzo Vecchio is in an unusual setting, just below the island’s cemetery (take the C1 bus and walk down a narrow road on the right).

While all of these beaches have their merits, if it’s sun, sea and sand you’re after, I would highly recommend taking the bus to Chiaiolella. This is the best beach on the island, long and sandy with attractive views of Vivara and Ischia.

There are several concessions on the beach where you can rent a sunbed, or eat on a terrace above the sand. There are also some free beaches. The bus stops right next to it.

Other things to do around Procida

Once you’ve seen the sights of Procida and enjoyed your time by the sea, other possible activities include day trips to other islands. Ischia is a 20-minute ferry ride away, and in the summer there are sometimes day trips to Capri.

You could also take one of the regular ferries and visit Pozzuoli on the mainland.

In the tourist season there are boat trips around the coast of Procida, usually leaving in the morning from the port. Ask your hotel or a tour agency for more details, as you should book in advance.

Travelling to Procida

The nearest airport to Procida is Naples Capodichino. From the airport, take a bus to the seafront (Molo Beverello).

Ferries to Ischia usually stop at Procida; the destination will be advertised. There are both fast and slow services, and some depart from another port in Naples, called Mergellina, which is convenient for the Italian rail network.

Procida is also served by ferries from Pozzuoli, a nearby town on the mainland. There are some interesting Roman ruins in Pozzuoli, so this could make an interesting combination for a holiday.

Day Trips to Procida

If you are visiting Procida for a day trip, walk to Terra Murata and visit the abbey if it is open. Admire the views over the Gulf of Naples and the Procida coastline.

Then hop off at Corricella for a pleasant al fresco lunch near the port. In the afternoon, if you have time, take a bus to Chiaiolella where you can splash around on the beach before taking the bus back to the port.

Accommodation in Procida

Procida does not have many hotels, but the visitor will still find a range of accommodation types scattered across the island. You can find a much better deal here than in many other parts of Italy, especially outside the busiest months of July and August. However, as availability is limited, it is best to book well in advance.