Marina Chiaiolella

Kraak! The last marina on the island has a name that already tells you everything: Chiaiolella, which in the local Procidan dialect means "little beach." But don't be fooled by the diminutive — there's everything you need here to breathe in Procida to the fullest.

The Porticciolo di Marina Chiaiolella — the small harbour of Marina Chiaiolella — is home to the tourist marina and the largest beach on the island. The little square by the sea is one of those places that seems made for lingering: tucked in, facing the water, it's a location of great charm where traditional events and local festivities are held. Among the characteristic terraced houses — homes built side by side in a row, typical of this village — stands the Sanctuary of San Giuseppe, dating from the nineteenth century, keeping silent watch over the whole harbour.

Behind the seafront promenade that runs along the Ciracciello beach lies the area known as the "parùle" — land that was once marshy, reclaimed and made fertile thanks to characteristic norie, hydraulic wheels that drew water up from artesian wells. An ancient, ingenious system, entirely Procidan in spirit. Criii!

Continuing along Via Simone Schiano you reach Villa Chiaiozza, built in the immediate post-war years by the English consul M. Wentworthy Gurney in neoclassical style — elegant, understated, with that particular grace that speaks of sea and history in equal measure.

The road then leads on to Solchiaro: a green, panoramic area, quiet as a still morning on calm waters, looking east toward the Gulf of Naples and west toward the island of Ischia. Squa-squa! From up there the world feels wider — and Procida more beautiful than ever.