Procida Island: a hidden Italian gem you’ll love 2023

My two student sons and I visited Naples in Campania, Southern Italy. We spent an action-packed week exploring wonderful Naples and going on outings to Pompeii and Vesuvius, Sorrento and Procida island. Our day trip to Procida from Naples was one of the highlights.

Why visit Procida Italy?

Procida is a tiny island lying 23 km off the coast in the Gulf of Naples. It’s part of an archipelago known as the Flegrean islands, which includes Ischia, and the islets Vivara and Nisida. Procida is the smallest island in the bay of Naples, not far from its more glitzy siblings, Capri and Ischia. These two are well-known on the tourist trail and up-scale Capri in particular is often packed with visitors, but in contrast Procida has a more low-key vibe.

In fact in 2022 Procida island was chosen to be Italian Capital of Culture thanks to its authenticity, traditional artisan heritage and the sustainability of its development.  Procida is about slow tourism, there aren’t any nightclubs or big luxury hotels here and hopefully that won’t change. The community is keen to preserve its traditional character. 

A narrow little island less than two square miles in size, Procida has supported fishermen and boat builders for centuries. Surprisingly it has a population of 10,000 although we didn’t see them on our weekday visit! 

Apart from being remarkably unspoilt and untouristy, given its proximity to the famous Amalfi coast, one of Procida’s key features is the ravishing muddle of colorful houses that cling to the hillside overlooking the harbour of Corricella. The views, the beaches, the swimming, the food: there are lots of reasons to visit Procida and it’s a favourite of weekending Neapolitans.

So first of all, here’s how to get to Procida Italy.

Naples to Procida

Ferries from Naples to Procida leave from two piers in Naples: Molo Beverello and Porta di Massa. You can also take a ferry to Procida from Pozzuoli, just north of Naples, from the neighbouring island of Ischia or from Sorrento on the Amalfi coast.

We were staying in the Centro Storico in Naples, the ancient zone of the city which is handily situated for the port. So at 8am on a Wednesday morning we were able to leave our apartment and stroll down to Molo Beverello. The hydrofoil to Ischia departed at around 8.40 am and stopped en route at Procida, just 40 minutes into the journey.

Crossing by Ferry Naples Procida

The regular hydrofoil and ferry service for Naples Procida is provided by SNAV and Caremar. There are several crossings a day although the timetable alters according to the time of year. The crossing by hydrofoil isn’t super cheap, our tickets were around £30 each return; the car and passenger ferry which costs a little less has a longer journey time of 70 minutes. Check in the Ferryhopper box below with your travel dates to see which services are available and to book in advance. 

Ischia Procida ferry 

You can travel from Ischia to Procida easily too. The journey takes about 15 minutes by hydrofoil, 25 minutes by ferry. And you’ll find several crossings a day, although these will vary seasonally. Check in the Ferryhopper box below with your travel dates to see which services are available and to book. 

Alternatively this full day boat tour from Ischia to Procida with lunch on board sounds almost too good to miss! The reviews are excellent. One reviewer says “best thing we did in Ischia!” The home-cooked food and the hospitality of all the crew get special mentions. 

The boat departs from Forio on Ischia then circles the island to view the Aragonese castle. Once you reach Procida you’ll see the islet nature reserve, Vivara, and enjoy a swim and a chance to land and explore the island of Procida. Lunch is served on board. 

Click here to check availability and to book From Ischia: Procida Island full day boat tour with lunch. 

Sorrento Procida ferry

You can also catch a ferry from Sorrento to Procida. Although take care not to miss the boat, they only run once or twice a day! The distance from Sorrento to Procida is about 32 km by sea. The Sorrento Procida ferry service runs direct and takes around 45 minutes. Check the Ferryhopper box below for a schedule of times and to book. 

Or, you could try this full day small group boat tour from Sorrento which visits both Ischia and Procida with swimming and snorkelling stops. 

The boat departs from Piano di Sorrento with a maximum of 12 passengers. It travels to Ischia first where you can swim at the Green Cave and see the Aragonese Castle from the water.  The boat moors at Ischia allowing 3 to 4 hours to explore the island. Next stop is Procida island where the boat makes a swimming stop at a bay and again allows an hour or two free time on the island before returning to Sorrento. To find out more, read the very good reviews and book From Sorrento: Ischia and Procida Boat Tour click here.  

How to book tickets for ferries to Procida

We bought our tickets for the hydrofoil to Procida at the pier on the day we travelled. But – it was September and the ferry was unlikely to be fully booked.

To be safe it’s a good idea to book ferries to Procida in advance. Ferryhopper is a reputable company that operates across 22 countries in Europe and North Africa and 96 ferry companies. It’s a simple hassle-free way to book single ferry journeys or island hopping trips with no hidden costs. 

Just fill in the form below with dates, number of passengers and whether or not you’re travelling with pets or a car. You’ll see a schedule of ferry services available with prices and journey times for you to compare. You can book via Ferryhopper and receive an e-ticket or booking confirmation. 

How to get around Procida

Procida is small enough to walk around. But it also has a bus service with four routes and buses running every 10 or 15 minutes. It’s not recommended to bring a car as the narrow streets make it very difficult to drive! Procida has micro-cabs too which are useful when moving luggage between the port and a hotel, but reviewers warn that they aren’t particularly cheap!  

Things to do in Procida Italy

Despite its small size there are quite a few things to do in Procida! We planned our day trip to Procida with a specific agenda: beach and lunch. We wanted a relaxing day so we didn’t explore the whole island. But we didn’t need to. The area around the port and the village of Corricella ticked all the boxes for us. Here’s what we did:

Explore Marina Grande

Stepping off the hydrofoil at Marina Grande felt like entering an earlier decade. After the hustle of Naples the harbour was peaceful, with just the bong of the church bells and a few local fishermen mending fishing nets in open doorways.

Marina Grande is the main port where ferries from Ischia and Naples arrive and depart regularly. We passed bars and restaurants and shops selling art, handicrafts and ceramics amongst a cluster of pastel coloured buildings and narrow streets.

Walk to Corricella

Our plan was to head straight to the fishing village of Corricella which is about 15 minutes walk from the harbour. So we took the path uphill from the lovely lemon-toned church of Santa Maria della Pieta. The roads are narrow, no pavements, and hardly any traffic apart from the occasional small car or scooter.

At the crossroads is another beautifully baroque church, Santa Maria Delle Grazie. It stands in the Martyr’s Square which has a tragic story that’s at odds with its peaceful surroundings. Twelve local people were executed there for joining the Neapolitan Republic in 1799.

Visit Terra Murata Procida

From the square we turned up towards Terra Murata, the fortified medieval stronghold at the highest point of the island.

You’ll see some typical traditional architecture here in Casale Vascello, a courtyard that dates back to the 16th century. The houses have distinctive outside staircases under arched overhangs.  

Terra Murata, meaning walled land, is a forbidding looking place from the sea. Just as well really, as this fortified enclave kept the people of Procida safe from marauders and pirates for centuries.

Palazzo d’Avalos in the heart of the area was built in 1500. By turns a royal palace and later a prison, it’s abandoned now and the buildings were closed when we visited. But it’s possible to book ahead to see the sixteenth century Abbey, the Abbazia san Michele Arcangelo, and the Graziella House museum, a reconstruction of the home of a beloved literary character.

Make sure to walk to the end of the promontory for the best views of the Bay of Naples, glimmering silver under the sun.

Admire the view of colourful Marina Corricella 

It’s a bit of an uphill slog to Terra Murata, but once you reach the terrace with two cannon pointing out into the bay, you’ll also catch your first glimpses of ridiculously pretty Corricella.

First of all the harbour…..

Then a sideways glimpse of the tumble of pastel-coloured houses that surround the water’s edge.

The two cannon on the terrace in Terra Murata are left over from the turbulent times of the Neapolitan Republic. Once we reached the terrace we found a handful of other people there, taking photos, but that was all. We practically had the place to ourselves.

And this view is the real reason you walk all the way up that hill:

You know when you think a place is never quite going to live up to the photos you’ve seen?  Well in this case Procida Italy did. Luckily we’d chosen a quiet sunny weekday to visit too.

Incidentally you can take a taxi to this viewpoint or even catch a bus. We didn’t see either but we were happy to walk anyway. Going back down the hill was much easier, especially as we were heading down into the picture book village of Corricella.

Visit Marina Corricella

The little village of Corricella is a near-vertical warren of sorbet-coloured houses which pack tightly around the harbour. So tight in fact that there are no roads to the water’s edge just a zig-zag of scalatinelli (staircase streets), to get in and out of the village. It’s the oldest fishing village on the island, dating from the seventeenth century.

There are some small hotels and B&Bs in this part of Procida but otherwise it’s a sleepy little place with piles of fishing accoutrements heaped on the quay. The only clues to its popularity were occasional ice-cream signs and one or two sleek day boats moored alongside the fishing nets. This is where Neapolitans come for the weekend.

It wasn’t immediately obvious where to get a cup of coffee. Procida island may be busy at the weekends but Corricella was resolutely off tourist duty on a September weekday. We found one little place open and sat with drinks and almond pastries alongside the fishing boats. We did spot a couple of likely looking restaurants for lunch but we had other plans. Our tour guide for Pompeii and all-round Naples advisor had given us an excellent tip. So we headed off up the road in search of beaches. It didn’t take too long.

Where to Stay in Procida Italy

But perhaps a day trip to Procida isn’t long enough? Click here for a selection of hotels and apartments in Procida with Booking.com.You can set your preferred filters then scroll through the photos, descriptions and reviews to choose the accommodation you like best for your stay. Here are some of the best reviews I’ve seen of hotels with views in Corricella. 

SAN MICHELE boutique hotel in Corricella with sea views. 12 rooms and suites, restaurant, TV, mini bar, free wi fi and air conditioning. Reviewers say it’s ‘the perfect setting’ ‘tranquil and modern’ and ‘super clean’ and recommend the home made lemon and orange marmalade at breakfast!  

HOTEL LA CORRICELLA – a small 3 star hotel with 9 rooms and a shared sun terrace with views of the harbour in Corricella. Free wi fi, plus TV, mini bar, air conditioning and room service.  Reviews say the rooms are spacious and comfortable and that the staff are friendly and helpful. Lots of stairs and no lift. 

HOTEL LA CASA sul MARE – 4 star hotel, on the hillside overlooking Corricella marina. Free wi fi, air conditioning, TV, mini bar, room service and private balconies. Reviewers love the view and the helpful staff. 

Take a boat tour on Procida Island

You’ll be very tempted by this boat tour around Procida island with swimming stops. I’d love to visit again and book it! The boat departs from Marina Grande for a two hour tour along the coast of the island. You’ll see Corricella, Vivara Island nature reserve, Pazzovecchio the famous Postman’s beach, Punta Pioppeto lighthouse and more. The boat makes swimming stops and you can borrow snorkels to explore the underwater world and take photos too. The skipper gets very good reviews!

To check availability and to book this Procida boat tour with swimming stops, click here. 

Alternatively you can also book the boat and skipper for a private tour of the island. Again excellent reviews for the skipper who is a Procida local. The additional charge for fuel is adjusted according to whether you’re tempted to pop over to Ischia too! 

To check availability and book a 5 hr 30 min private boat tour click here. 

Visit Chiaia beach Procida

We walked south out of town along a little road, passing iron balconies, grand gateposts, an old farmacia and swathes of bourgainvillea. At the first sign to ‘Spiaggia’ we turned down a pathway to an iron staircase that brought us down to a dark sand beach with a kiosk and beds and umbrellas to hire. But in the distance, further along the bay, we could see the beach restaurant we were searching for. Rather than go back up the steps again we paddled along the shallows and crossed some boulders to get there. Even in September the grey volcanic sand was really too hot to walk on.

Lunch on a Procida beach

La Conchiglia on Spiaggia Chiaia looks a little like a vintage railway carriage from the distance. It has huge windows thrown open to the sea and a cluster of beach umbrellas and beds to hire.

We quickly booked a lunch table by a window then picked our beach beds and hopped in the sea. The water in the bay was calm and clear as crystal. Under the ripples the dark sand was sprinkled with tiny white fragments of shell.

After drying off in the sunshine we went in for lunch. Our window seats overlooked Chiaia beach with pastel’y Corricella and Terra Murata in the distance. A small flotilla was gathering offshore, a sure sign there’s a good lunch to be found in a bay. The restaurant’s boat was busily ferrying customers ashore.

Obviously we were going to have seafood. We ordered fritto misto then plates heaped with grilled squid, octopus and delicious chunks of ricciola or yellowtail. Dishes of chips, salad and a little painted jug of wine and we had the perfect ingredients for lunch with a view.

After lunch we settled back down on the beach beds again to read and swim. Top tip: as the sun moves round in the afternoon the cliffs at the back of Chiaia beach throw shade onto the sand. This was perfect for us and it saved hiring umbrellas. However we could have moved on to to one of Procida’s west coast beaches to catch the afternoon sun.

Around 4pm we strolled back the way we’d come to Marina Grande. We were so relaxed we nearly missed the hydrofoil home!

Explore the Procida beaches

Procida came into being millennia ago when four volcanoes erupted. And these volcanic origins are evident today in its distinctive dark sand beaches.

There are six beaches on Procida so you can move from one to the other to follow the sun, or the shade or find shelter from a breeze. 

Chiaia Beach We were lucky to have been recommended Chiaia beach as it’s probably the most beautiful on the island with views of Corricella and Terra Murata. It has a restaurant, loungers and parasols to rent and a shuttle boat runs from Marina Corricella. It is less accessible than some of the other beaches as it can only be reached by boat or a long series of steps down from a ridge. 

La Lingua beach is close to Marina Grande. It’s a pebbly beach, unlike the others, 

Silurenza beach is also nearby Marina Grande and it’s easy to reach on foot from the port. 

Pozzo Vecchio beach is nicknamed Il Postino beach. It’s on the west coast, on the opposite side of the island to Chiaia, so sees the sunset. 

Ciraccio beach is a long sandy beach on the west coast which gets the sun all day long.  It can also become breezy here in the afternoons. It is a partly organised and partly free beach. 

Chiaiolella beach is only separated from Ciraccio by two sea stacks. It has restaurants, bars and beach clubs and lies close to  Marina Chiaiolella and the little islet of Vivara. In the afternoon it can be windy like Ciraccio beach. These are both popular beaches with shallow water. 

The tiny island of Vivara, linked by a long bridge at the southerly tip of Procida, isn’t a beach at all. But it is a protected nature reserve, home to rare plants and migratory birds. Excavations have found evidence of a Bronze Age settlement and ceramics there. Occasionally Vivara is open to visitors. 

Visit Procida’s film locations

Given its unspoilt beauty, it’s no surprise that Procida Italy is a sought after location for filming. In the 1999 big screen version of The Talented Mr. Ripley, starring Matt Damon and Jude Law, Corricella also stars as the fictional village of ‘Mongibello’.  

Similarly the 1994 classic, Il Postino (The Postman), was based in Procida. Sadly its star, Massimo Troisi, died at the end of filming. You’ll find Bar La Taverna del Postino in Corricella harbour, while Via San Rocco leading to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie also features in the film and a building in the Martyr’s Square plays the part of the Post Office. 

Here are some more tours of the beautiful islands in the Bay of Naples, departing from Naples and Sorrento, via Get Your Guide:

FAQs

What is Procida famous for?

Procida Italy is famous for its brightly coloured houses which, it is said, were painted so that sailors could recognise their harbour from the sea. It also has the perfect climate for lemons, once again with the seafaring community in mind as lemons have long been known to protect against scurvy. Procida’s heirloom lemons are large, sweet and mild and used in lots of dishes on the island. 

How many days do you need in Procida Italy?

You can see a lot of Procida in a day or two. But the slow pace of life and lovely views and beaches make it tempting to stay for a longer break. 

What to read next

To read more about our family trip to Naples plus our top sights in the city click here.

I’ve written about our Naples to Pompeii day trip here and our guided tour of the ancient city trapped in time.

Find out our tips on beating the queues and visiting Florence, Italy on a budget, here. 

Please note that all visitor information here is for guidance only. Please check the venues’ websites for the most up to date information on tickets, entrance requirements, opening times etc. 

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