Postcard from Procida, the Smallest Inhabited Island in the Bay of Naples

Issue #193

So you know about Capri and Ischia, but what about Procida? The smallest of the three inhabited Phlegrean Islands in the Bay of Naples, Procida is popular among Neapolitans but flies under the radar when it comes to international tourism.

In 2022, it became the first island ever crowned Italy’s Capital of Culture, which created some buzz, but when my husband Marco and I visited last summer, it still felt charmingly authentic and down-to-earth. I included Procida in a recent article for Travel + Leisure about places where Italians actually vacation in summer, but I think it deserves a closer look.

The streets of Procida are lined with colorful buildings similar to the ones on the Amalfi Coast

Like Ischia and Capri, Procida is a volcanic island. According to legend, it was named after Prochyta, the nurse of Aeneas, who died at sea during his journey from Troy to Italy and was buried on the island. Though Prochyta is considered a minor character in the Aeneid, it was quite common for mythological figures’ names to be used for geographical mapping at the time.

Back when Ischia and the southern part of the Italian peninsula formed Magna Graecia, colonies settled by the Greeks before the Romans, the whole area was charged with myths and legends. The area off the Campanian coast was believed to be the realm of the Sirens, mythological creatures with female heads and torsos and birds’ wings and bodies, whose hauntingly beautiful songs lured sailors to their deaths.

Locals gathered in a piazza

More recently, the island appeared in Il Postino (The Postman), a 1994 Oscar-winning film starring Massimo Troisi as a postman who befriends poet Pablo Neruda during his exile on the island. It’s also the setting for L’Isola di Arturo, an award-winning novel written by Elsa Morante in 1957.

Procida has been continually inhabited for around 2,000 years, but the island as you see it today developed starting in the Middle Ages. During the 16th through 18th centuries, when the Kingdom of Naples was ruled by the Spaniards and Bourbons, Procida’s population grew and built the distinctive houses with external staircases, bright colors, and arches that are still characteristic of the island today. The best place to see the old fisherman’s houses is Marina di Corricella, which is lined with restaurants and shops.

A terrace overlooking the sea at San Michele Boutique Hotel

Marco and I stayed in Marina di Corricella at San Michele Boutique Hotel, which has whitewashed rooms and a bohemian vibe. On our first evening there, we had dinner at Caracalè, a lovely little restaurant right on the bay that was recommended to me by Mariella Avino, owner and managing director of Palazzo Avino on the Amalfi Coast, followed by gelato at Chiaro di Luna, whose owners make lemon and mandarin sorbet using fruit from their garden, among other flavors.

The next day we hopped on one of the little buses that circle the island and spent the day relaxing at Chiaiolella Beach, the island’s longest beach, which has dark volcanic sand and is lined with no frills beach clubs.

Il dolce far niente at Chiaiolella Beach

In Marina di Corricella, I had seen a bunch of signs advertising boat tours and transfers, so I called the phone number on one of them and arranged a boat ride back from Chiaiolella to Corricella, which was a nice way to see more of the island from the sea. For the best views, though, you have to hike up the steep hill from Corricella to Terra Murata, the 16th-century fortified village built to protect residents from pirates and Saracen attacks. Up there you can see the Palazzo d’Avalos, which was built as a noble residence and later became a prison.

There are also great views of the Marina di Corricella from La Lampara, the restaurant where we had dinner on our second night on the island. If you want to go, be sure to book a table in advance, as it’s one of the most popular restaurants on the island, especially for dinner with sunset views.

La Lampara’s terrace has some of the best views on the island

Before catching the hydrofoil to Ischia the next day, we stopped at Bar Dal Cavaliere by the port to try a lingua, the local pastry made of puff pastry filled with vanilla or lemon-flavored pastry cream. (Lingua means tongue in Italian and these pastries are shaped vaguely like tongues.)

I would have liked to check out some of the shops near the port, but it was raining and we didn’t have much time anyway, so I’ll have to go back another time. During our brief stay on the island, I loved just wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere.

Caracalè is animated with diners until late on summer nights

There are no five-star resorts, Michelin-starred restaurants, or designer boutiques in Procida. And while there is tourism, it’s mostly domestic, so don’t expect English to be as widely spoken as it is in nearby Capri and Ischia. The pace on the island is definitely slow and relaxed, and there’s no nightlife to speak of, so if you’re looking for a party island, Procida isn’t the place for you. In the evenings, Corricella is definitely lively, with plenty of people out enjoying an aperitivo and dinner—just don’t expect trendy bars or nightclubs.

A visit to Procida is ideal for travelers who are willing to trade Instagram-famous sites for a taste of an authentic Italian island composed of fisherman’s villages and laid-back beaches. Have you been to Procida? If so, share your experience with me and other readers in the comments. If not, do you want to go now?

Further Reading

• You can read my aforementioned article for Travel + Leisure about places where Italians actually vacation in summer here.

• Procida was on the New Roman Times’ list of 25 Places in Italy to Inspire Your 2025 Travels thanks to a nomination by Mariella Avino, who called it “lost in time.”

• Want to combine a couple of days in Procida with some time in Ischia, like Marco and I did last year? Check out my guide to 72 Hours in Ischia.

• You can see all of the New Roman Times’ coverage of under-the-radar destinations here.