Anywhere Italy
00 Procida
Stemma di Procida

Campania · Napoli

Procida

A four-square-kilometer Flegrean island of pastel fishing houses, the 2022 Italian Capital of Culture.

Best time
May–Sep
Getting there
By ferry
Population
10,092

Known for

  • IL POSTINO

    Massimo Troisi filmed his 1994 Oscar-nominated final film on Procida; Anthony Minghella followed with Ripley in 1999.

  • CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2022

    First Italian island to win the national Capital of Culture title, with 330 days of programming and forty cultural projects.

  • LIMONE DI PROCIDA

    Elongated local lemon variety from the western side of the island, used for limoncello and the lemon salad eaten with fish.

When to visit

Best · May–Sep

  • J14°
  • F15°
  • M15°
  • A18°
  • M22°
  • J27°
  • J30°
  • A30°
  • S27°
  • O22°
  • N19°
  • D16°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Michele, 29 September

Why come

Procida sits in the Gulf of Napoli between Ischia and the Flegrean mainland, four kilometers of land area, ten thousand inhabitants, the most densely populated island in the Mediterranean. The fishing harbor at the base of the island opens onto the water while the fortified village of Terra Murata rises above it, the two parts of Procida separated by the climb from the working port to the walled height where the population once retreated from the sea. The boats in the harbor below are still working boats, and the lemon groves on the western side of the island still produce the fruit used in the local liquor and in the fish salad eaten in the harborside houses.

A small island, then, built in layers: a working waterfront at sea level, a walled settlement above it holding the abbey and the former prison, and groves to the west that supply the kitchen. The culture prize of 2022 recognized a place whose economy and street life had not otherwise changed hands.

The Sunday letter

Procida is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Procida comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Procida in our articles

How to get there

Procida is on an island and is reached by ferry.

Procida, photo 1
Procida, photo 2

What to see

  • Marina di Corricella

    Pastel-painted fishing village stepping down to a sheltered harbor, the location of Il Postino and The Talented Mr. Ripley.

  • Terra Murata

    The highest point on the island at 91 meters, its defensive walls built against medieval Saracen raids, enclosing the original settlement above Corricella.

  • Abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo

    Sixteenth-century abbey on the cliff, with a museum holding ex-voto paintings from generations of Procida fishermen.

  • Palazzo d'Avalos

    Former Bourbon prison on the same clifftop, restored after closure in 1988, now exhibition spaces and visitable cell blocks.

  • Spiaggia della Chiaia

    Crescent-shaped beach below Corricella, reached by a stone staircase from the village above, the most photographed beach on the island.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Procida fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • Da MarianoTrattoria

    Da Mariano holds two Gambero Rosso prawns.

Living here

  • Population 10,092
  • Remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Regional capital Napoli, 3 h 1 min drive

Common questions

What is Procida known for?
Procida is a four-square-kilometer Flegrean island of pastel fishing houses, the 2022 Italian Capital of Culture.
Where is Procida?
Procida is a comune in the province of Napoli, in Campania, at 4 meters above sea level.
How do you get to Procida?
Procida is on an island and is reached by ferry.
When is the best time to visit Procida?
Best in May–Sep. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Procida?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: Michele, 29 September.
Which other towns are like Procida?
Forio, Capri and Massa Lubrense.
How many people live in Procida?
10,092 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 4 m
  • Population: 10,092
  • Surface area: 4.26 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

Similar

Towns like Procida