Chilling out in Procida, Italy
There are a few islands in the Gulf of Naples and I was keen to visit at least one of them during my trip to Naples. Capri was the largest and most famous, then there was Ischia, and finally Procida, the smallest of the three. They all looked very nice. In the end, I decided on Procida, it's a quaint little island with bags of tradition.
Procida
Procida is a small island created by four volcano eruptions and is around 4 sq km. Its compact size makes it a nice waking day trip if you have the energy. I was here to chill out for the day and only did a little walk to Terra Murata, the highest point on the island. This is the view from the Marina Corricella looking up to Terra Murata. In a minute, I will take you on a walk there and show you the view looking down back here (if you haven't noticed it already).
Easter Procession
I didn't realise Procida has a Easter procession that is "considered the most spectacular and intense in the whole Mediterranean" source and it was happening on the same day I visited! Sadly the procession happened in the morning and I arrived at noon. I missed this but still got to experience a bit of the tradition.
After arriving on the island, I did the 20 minutes walk uphill to Terra Murata, which in the end turned out taking much longer. As I turned into the narrow cobblestone lanes, I saw it was blocked by men carrying massive floats that was as wide as the lane itself. The floats were heavy, and the guys could only carry them about half a minute each time before they needed to rest. That said, their spirits were mega high. I had no option but to follow them slowly, and could only slip forward during their rest. Every time I passed a float, there was another one in front.
Eventually I got through the narrow lanes and continued uphill. There were more floats on the way up and now the guys were battling with the slope. I don't know if it's harder work to squeeze through a narrow lane or uphill a road....
There was some kiddies float, they looked a bit lighter and some teenagers and mums helped to carry them up. I was looking at this $ sign one and wondered if one day there will be a Bitcoin one. The final destination for the floats is the building at the top.
I later found out this is an old prison now used as some sort of cultural center, and the floats are put on exhibit here. Bringing the float uphill was just part of the challenge, now they had to get it through this little entrance which was just side enough for the float. Even I couldn't squeeze through at the same time, let alone the guys!!!
Terra Murata viewpoint
After the unexpected encounter en route with the easter procession, I finally achieved the purpose of my day. Isn't this view gorgeous!! Marina Corricella is the oldest village on the island, where colourful houses are built on different levels creating a charming paradise facing the sea.
Marina Corricella
I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out at the marina. Soaking in the warm sunray, listening to the sea breeze, and of course eating my gelato.
Till it was sunset and I had to leave. Good bye Procida.
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Wow these shots are amazing and the place and island also,
I hope one-day I will go there and take shots like u
Thanks
Ahh procession, they are so typical of religious south Italy, no one does them here in the north...
You visited us up here too?
Not on this occasion, but I've been to Milan and Bologna (is that considered north?) in the past. Just curious, why does the south still have more of these traditions compared to the north?
Milan is north, bologna is center italy already
well south and north are totally different worlds, north experienced industrial boom, modernization, education since the union of the state, while south has always remained more agriculture oriented, less education, just go work asap... that's influencing a lot of things, they are way more religious than us (hence the processions), we use blasphemies when angry, they dont even know what they are, here in a family it's normal that the woman works, there it's normal that the woman doesnt work but stays home taking care of children... and many other things
that Terra Murata viewpoint looks like a jig saw puzzle picture
Now you mention it... It would make a rather nice jigsaw
I love the place, looking so beautiful , How much this trip cost you ?
The ferry from Naples was about €30+, making it a nice day out
I have been to Naples a couple times. Never had a chance to visit the islands though. Think the last time was Christmas 1999 time frame. Was not overly impressed with anything near the port. Was able to get further away and experience a little more and enjoyed it. Never experienced any local rituals like you were able to though and I was there during Christmas the last time. Not sure why, but always enjoyed Italy the European countries surrounding the Med. Could have spent more time there if they would have let me.
Was that when you were still serving? Tbh, I thought Naples was ok, but a little drabby, maybe because I was staying near the train station which are never the best areas. Procida be was a very nice change but I wouldn't want to stay here for my holiday as I'm not much of a beach person
Yes, it was when I was still serving.
Your trip was wonderful! And that first photo on the cover struck me right in the heart, it’s one of the most beautiful photos I’ve ever seen. Honestly I have a soft spot for those colorful little houses. But I’m curious about those stands or statues the guys were carrying — were they supposed to just place them somewhere at the top in the end, or were they meant to do something else with them? Because I didn’t really understand that part.
And how did you get to the island? By ferry? And how much did it cost?
They have a procession around parts of the island like a carnival, celebrating Easter. That's why most of floats have a religious theme, and I think there's a contest that votes for the best float.
These processions are quite a big thing in many Mediterranean villages around Easter and May and can attract a lot of crowds.
The ferry from Naples to Procida was around €30+ return, to Capri was €40-50 which I thought was a bit too expensive for a day trip, plus I heard Capri is also more expensive overall. Not too surprising given how famous it is
It’s truly a very unique and unusual tradition. It’s really interesting — do people actually make them themselves? That’s so cool 😃😮 I wish there were more unusual and original things like this where we live, because the modern world here has reduced everything to the bare minimum.
These processions are a very community thing and many locals take pride in participating every year. I believe they make the floats themselves, because they've been doing it for so many years.
These festivals are normally held in the smaller villages and towns where they still cling onto the tradition. I wanted to come to this one after the Hive meetup in Alicante earlier this month, but missed it by a day.
https://www.spain.info/en/calendar/caballos-vino-unesco-heritage/
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The island is like something out of a postcard, it’s so beautiful! But apart from the scenery, what really caught my eye were the statues in the procession; they’re very different from the ones we have in Spain. When they’re paraded through the narrow streets, it’s truly spectacular and gives you goosebumps. Do they have music playing as well? Enjoying a proper Italian ice cream with those views must be an incredible experience. 😋
Sadly I missed the actual parade, I didn't even know it was on until I arrived 😄
It seems like they were transporting the floats back to that building after the procession, it was still quite a scene. One large float needed 6 guys on each side to lift it, and they asked my nephew to have a go (maybe one of those guys was too tired or lazy 😁). My nephew said it was heavy, even though it was only for 30 seconds, but it was a nice experience for him.
Ice cream by the sea, it can never go wrong!
It's great to have the opportunity to participate directly like your nephew did. I suspect that the local was lazy, at least I detect a clear suspect in a photograph. 😂
Wow I must add Procida to my travels list this place have some Venetian vibes in my opinion, by the way wonderful photos!!💕
Hey, you're local!!! Or more local than me 😉
Seriously, Italy is such a big country I'm sure there are many gems to be discovered all the time
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Beautiful photos! So many people in my social media feeds are vacationing in Italy right now. It's making me want to experience it myself. What Italian cities would you recommend visiting for someone planning their first ten day trip?
If it's a first trip to Italy, I guess you should tick the Milan and Rome (and Vatican) boxes.
Personally, I like Tuscany, we spent a week there some years ago, based in Sienna, and did day trips to other places. I have a summary of my trip here if you're interested. The area is between Milan and Rome making a nice stop over, and easy to fly in and out of the country from America and the two large cities.
https://peakd.com/@livinguktaiwan/-a-taster-of-tuscany-italy-1599928049002
Venice is also famous, but I have no desire to go; it seems very overrated and too touristy.
Hope you can make a trip sometime, it's a nice country, I like it a lot
Thanks for the link! That will be really helpful for future trip planning. I've heard great things about Florence as well but it's so tough to see everything in one trip. I don't have much desire to see Venice either—we try to avoid places that are overly touristy. Did you experience any trouble on the streets with scammers? I've heard that's getting worse in Italy. I appreciate it! Most seasoned travelers I've spoken with say Italy is their favorite but I've also heard that traveling Italy isn't for the faint of heart due to irregular train schedules and such. I'd definitely be up for it at this point in my life!
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A very excellent choice of island—it, @livinguktaiwan. Strikes me as an ideal place for relaxation. I absolutely loved seeing the Easter Procession. From the marina, I spotted a lovely ice cream, a beautiful sunrise, and—did I also catch a glimpse of a fortress?
Thank you for sharing such wonderful images.
Have a great weekend!
I've not been there, but we went out to Capri when we were in Sorrento. I've seen a similar procession in Spain where they had to cope with narrow streets and overhead random wires. These old towns are pretty, but not too practical.
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STOPWow, that looks pretty amazing! Are you multilingual, or does it not usually matter too much that you can't speak the language? You seem to hit a lot of spots, it would be hard to keep track of them all!
Beautiful pictures here. I did not manage to do any of the Islands during my visit to Naples. I was too focused on day trips to Sorrento, Amalfi and places that were easily available by train or bus. I was gutted not to do Capri, but I had a great time regardless.
Italy is so amazing I really love how colourful and passionate the people are. I am glad you managed to explore some amazing places.
After exploring most of southern Italy. If I manage to go back I will be looking at Milan, Turin and Florence areas.
Great photos! 🔥
You have a great eye for perspective and really nice colors. 👍