Fisherman next door: your apartment in Procida

As an advocate of slow travel, I always recommend staying longer in one place and making sure the amount you spend on accommodation stays with the local community. In Procida this is quite easy, as most hotels and apartments are owned and run by local people. Although you can find wonderful hotels and B&Bs on the island, and I am happy to book them for you, on this page I am offering apartments where you can really live like a local with that cute old lady or the bearded fisherman next door.

While some long staircases and uphill streets might make you short of breath, the island of Procida is actually very flat, with the highest peak only 91 meters above sea level. That’s where the fortified village of Terra Murata was built. It’s the oldest settlement of Procida, a historical and cultural center, still inhabited. You can walk up there, but if you don’t like going uphill, just take bus C2 from Marina Grande.

Marina Chiaiolella

After arriving at Procida and settling into our apartment, we first headed to the marina with the name that is impossible to pronounce. Chiaiolella harbour is located at the southern end of the island, just opposite from Marina Grande, the main port of Procida.

We were enjoying the everyday pleasures of island life and swimming in the warm waters of Chiaia beach so much, that it was only on our 4th day that we made it to the most photographed part of Procida, Marina Corricella. It’s kind of funny that while the photo of Corricella can be seen quite often, used on the cover of Italian guide books or to advertise Italian language courses, Procida is still a well-kept secret, most people outside of Italy have no idea where it is. Unlike its sister islands in the Bay of Naples, glamorous Capri and green Ischia, Procida is still under the radar of most tourists.

I have been to many amazing beaches in my life. Thailand, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Mexico are at the top of my "favourite beach" list. And Italy, of course, with its turquoise sea and white sand or rocky beaches in Liguria, Puglia, Sardinia or Sicily. To be honest, the beaches of Procida are not that beautiful. Still, they have a secret, a special atmosphere, which is hard to explain. I list below some of the advantages of Procidan beaches.

Regardless where you are coming from, Napoli, Pozzuoli or Ischia, your ferry or hydrofoil will be arriving at the Marina Grande in Procida, the main hub of the island. During our 10-day stay we returned to the marina several times as we really enjoyed the atmosphere and loved walking on the promenade.

Procida had many surprises for me. When we arrived, after I got over my first shock about the crazy traffic, the next surprise was to see so many beautiful hydrangea bushes in the lush mediterranean gardens along the main road. I am a huge fan of these flowers and Procida has them in several different colours.

I really wanted to have a slow holiday. I wasn’t writing lists of things to see and do, I wasn’t reading guidebooks, I wasn’t getting prepared. I picked a place that was attracting me and I was sure we would have a great time there. I wanted Procida to surprise me, and it surely did, in many ways.

Finally in Procida

I have chosen Procida to be among the first destinations I write about, because it was one of my first trips with my daughter and also our slowest trip ever. L’Isola di Procida had been on my bucket list for many years. In 2007 I was dating a man from the Amalfi coast, so I spent more time around there than usual. The whole area enchanted me, and I wanted to discover every corner of the coastline. One day I saw a photo of funny colourful houses on what seemed to be a tiny island, I had never seen this view before.