ISOLA DI PROCIDA, THE SOUL OF THE BAY OF NAPOLI

Musings of The Grandma...

Some places become famous because they are spectacular. Others become unforgettable because they are authentic. Procida belongs to the second group. The smallest island in the Bay of Napoli is often overshadowed by its glamorous neighbours, Capri and Ischia. Yet those who take the short ferry ride soon discover that Procida offers something increasingly rare in today's world: the feeling of a place that still belongs to its people.

There are no grand boulevards lined with luxury boutiques. No crowds searching for the perfect postcard. Instead, there are narrow streets where neighbours still greet each other by name, fishing boats gently rocking in colourful harbours and laundry hanging between pastel-painted houses exactly as it has for generations.

Procida is not trying to impress visitors. It simply invites them to slow down. The island has been inhabited since Greek times, but its strategic position made it an important settlement throughout the Roman period and the Middle Ages. Over the centuries, however, its inhabitants learned that life at sea brought not only prosperity but also danger.

Pirate raids were once a constant threat. To protect themselves, entire communities built their homes high above the coast in what is now Terra Murata, the oldest part of the island. Surrounded by defensive walls and crowned by the imposing Abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo, it still offers one of the finest panoramic views of the Bay of Napoli.

Walking through Terra Murata feels like travelling back in time. Stone archways, narrow alleyways and quiet courtyards preserve centuries of island history. Below the fortified hill lies perhaps the most photographed corner of Procida: Marina Corricella. Its houses seem almost unreal. Pink. Yellow. Blue. Orange. Green. The colours were not chosen for tourists or photographers.

Local tradition suggests they helped fishermen recognise their homes from the sea as they returned after long days of fishing. Whether entirely true or partly legend, the result is one of the Mediterranean's most enchanting waterfronts. Unlike many famous coastal villages, Corricella has remained remarkably peaceful. Cars are almost absent. The harbour belongs to fishing boats, cafés and conversations. It is a place where time seems to move at the rhythm of the tides.

Cinema also discovered Procida's quiet beauty. The island served as the setting for several films, including Il Postino (The Postman), whose gentle story perfectly captures the atmosphere that still defines the island today. Yet Procida's identity extends beyond beautiful scenery. For centuries, the sea shaped almost every family.

Many islanders became sailors in the Italian merchant navy, spending months -or even years- crossing the world's oceans before returning home. This maritime tradition created a community whose horizon was never limited by the coastline. Perhaps that explains the island's unique character. Small in size. Immense in spirit.
In 2022, Procida was named Italian Capital of Culture, a recognition that celebrated not monuments or museums alone, but an entire way of life. The award acknowledged something visitors had understood long before. Culture is not only found in great works of art.

Sometimes it lives in everyday gestures, in stories passed from one generation to the next, in colourful harbours where fishermen still mend their nets beneath the Mediterranean sun. That is the real treasure of Procida. It is not an island that asks to be admired. It is an island that quietly teaches us that beauty often lies in simplicity, authenticity and community.

Leaving Procida by ferry, one last glance reveals the pastel houses slowly fading into the horizon. It is then that many visitors realise something unexpected. They have not simply visited another island in the Bay of Napoli. They have discovered its soul.

More information: Mademoiselle Voyage

 Senti. Non mi va di vedere Procida 
mentre s'allontana, e si confonde, 
diventa come una cosa grigia... 
Preferisco fingere che non sia esistita.
Listen. I don't feel like watching Procida 
as it moves away, and blurs, 
becoming like something gray... 
I prefer to pretend it never existed.

Elsa Morante