Marina Corricella

Kraak! If I had to pick just one place in Procida to carry with you forever, I'd say this: Marina Corricella. It's a living photograph, an island within the island — a place that artists, writers and filmmakers have tried to capture time and again, and that always slips through, because to truly understand it, you have to be here.

The fishermen's village of Corricella is off-limits to cars and motorbikes — and trust me, that's a gift. The fishermen's houses cling to the steep, high coastline, stacked one on top of the other, forming a compact cluster like others found across the Mediterranean. But here there's something unique: the colours. Yellow, pink, blue, green, white — pastel shades chosen with a very specific purpose. Sailors returning from the sea would recognise their own home by its colour. A compass painted on the wall.

Did you know that the name Corricella comes from the Greek "core callos", meaning "beautiful district"? The same root as Callìa, the upper part of the village. An ancient name for a place that feels frozen in time.

To reach the sea you walk down on foot, through staircases. The most well-trodden is the Gradinata del Pennino — the central one, right in front of the little church of San Rocco from the fifteenth century, at the lowest point of the street that shares its name. Criii! The staircase winds between the houses through narrow, close-set passages and leads you straight down to the quay. Every step is a film frame: no surprise that this staircase, like the rest of Corricella, has served as the backdrop for countless film productions.

And tucked among these coloured houses, just steps from the water, you'll find some of the most exclusive hotels and restaurants on the island. Squa-squa! Come and discover them — and let Corricella tell you the rest herself.