Jason Horowitz, The New York Times
Published: 04 Jul 2021 12:51 PM BdST
Updated: 04 Jul 2021 12:51 PM BdST An aerial view of the fishing village of Corricella on the Italian island of Procida, June 16, 2021. As Italy reopens to tourists, glamorous Capri and its quieter, grittier sister, Procida, prepare with joy and trepidation for an influx of visitors. (Susan Wright/The New York Times)
The aperitifs arrived as the Capri sun dipped into an orange band across the Gulf of Naples and a couple on the terrace talked about how quiet the island had become. The hotel felt empty, and its barman, in elegant suit and tie, interrupted his revelry about the pre-pandemic days to shoo off a sea gull deprived of its usual tourist-scrap banquet.
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Faded fishing boats bob in the water at Marina Grande, while behind them ice-cream-coloured houses in shades of pistachio, peach, raspberry and lemon are precariously perched, higgledy-piggledy, around the bay. As you arrive, this is the first glimpse you will have of Procida, a picture-postcard-perfect Italian island that’s recently been chosen as Italy’s next Capital of Culture.
Some 14 miles off the coast of Naples, it takes just 40 minutes to arrive at the marina by hydrofoil, but it’s a world away from the gritty city you’ve left behind.
Despite the island’s pretty, winding streets being the scenic backdrop of films such as The Talented Mr Ripley and Il Postino, Procida has been largely overlooked by tourists, with many preferring to visit the glitzy neighbouring isles of Capri and Ischia.
Church bells chime and children play freely in the square named after the late actor Massimo Troisi. A restaurant serves fresh fish to the smattering of customers eating outside, and fishermen mend their nets. With clear blue skies, it seems like a typical afternoon in mid-summer. But this is late January in Corricella, a 17th-century port in Procida, and the scene pretty much sums up the pace of life on what is the smallest and least known.
Last modified on Sun 31 Jan 2021 04.58 EST
Church bells chime and children play freely in the square named after the late actor Massimo Troisi. A restaurant serves fresh fish to the smattering of customers eating outside, and fishermen mend their nets. With clear blue skies, it seems like a typical afternoon in mid-summer.
But this is late January in Corricella, a 17th-century port in Procida, and the scene pretty much sums up the pace of life on what is the smallest and least known island in the bay of Naples.
Parts of Troisiâs 1994 Oscar-winning
Il Postinowere filmed in Corricella, and the area shot to fame again a few years later as the fictional village of Mongibello in