A white sailboat flying the Seasoul flag ploughed through the Tyrrhenian Sea during a week of sailing along the Amalfi Coast that departed from Salerno. As dusk fell, Procida emerged on the horizon as the smallest island in the Bay of Naples, where the vessel would spend the night.
From the southeast, the island unfolds with the pastel-coloured facades of Corricella as the first focal point. Above them rise the walls of the Terra Murata fortress and the ancient Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo, which for nearly a thousand years has watched over the island after surviving wars, sieges and pirate attacks. According to legend, when Barbarossa's fleet attacked, a sudden storm forced the pirates to abandon the assault, leading to Michael becoming the island's patron saint.
The winds prevented the vessel from anchoring in the marina, taking it to the very heart of Corricella alongside local fishing boats. The houses of the port form a brilliant amphitheatre, each painted a different colour by fishermen so they could quickly distinguish their front door when returning from the sea. That evening, visitors dined at La Lampara, where local dishes were served accompanied by house wine.
At seven in the morning, the first bell of Santa Maria delle Grazie rang out over Corricella when two fishing boats entered the port after a night's work in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Each night, as they have done for generations, the fishermen set out in search of anchovies and sardines when the schools of fish approach the surface in the darkness. The small vessels then go out "hunting" for octopus using a simple box with a glass bottom that allows them to see the seabed.
Procida has been a film set on multiple occasions. In 1994, "Il Postino" (The Postman) was filmed here with Massimo Troisi in what would be his last role, and five years later Jude Law, Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow returned to film "The Talented Mr. Ripley". For local residents, the presence of cinema has become part of the island's history, visible in commemorative plaques, photographs on walls and restaurants dedicated to the films.
