Piazza dei Martiri

Kraak! There's a square in Procida that is more than just a square. It's a place where history stood still, where the wind still carries the memory of those who fought for something greater. It's called Piazza dei Martiri — the Square of the Martyrs — and it sits right in the heart of the island's historic centre.

It was 1799. This is where Procida's revolutionaries raised the Tree of Liberty, in the colours red, yellow and blue — the symbol of a new hope. But the revolt was quickly drowned in blood by the Bourbons and the English, who reconquered Procida even before Naples. Right in the Procida Channel — the stretch of sea that separates the island from the mainland — Admiral Nelson's English fleet faced and defeated the ships of the Parthenopean Republic, commanded by Admiral Francesco Caracciolo.

To honour the memory of that violent season, the square holds a commemorative stele — a stone monument — dedicated to the gentlemen, landowners and priests who were executed for supporting the republican government. Stones that speak, if you know how to listen. Criii!

At the centre of the square stands the monument to Antonio Scialoja, unveiled in 1896. A name worth knowing: orator, politician, man of letters, senator of the Kingdom of Italy and Minister of Public Education. A Procidan who left his mark far beyond the waters of home.

To the left, heading inland, narrow lanes lead you into an area known as "Vigna" — the Vineyard — a name that tells its own story: this is where vines were once cultivated. Tucked into this quiet corner is a farmhouse called "Vascello", meaning "vessel", named for its shape: buildings on three levels arranged around an enclosed open courtyard, like a small, silent fortress.

At the far end of the square, your eye travels up to the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie, built in the seventeenth century and perched astride the rock at the top of Corricella. From up there the view stretches from east to west, from Punta dei Monaci to Punta Pizzaco. Squa-squa! A view that takes your breath away — and I should know, I fly over it every day.

Did you know that the construction of the church's dome was held up for years by the noble De Iorio family? They owned the palazzo behind the church and refused to give up their sea view from the balconies. In the end the dome was built anyway — and today it stands there, keeping watch over the blue. The sea always wins in the end.