A day in Procida

Last weekend I went to the little island of Procida which is basically between the coast by Capo Miseno and the more well-known island Ischia. This island is a little gem!

The morning started a little chaotic, as me and my friends left the house a little late and had to rush in the car to get to Pozzuoli where we were planning to take the ferry from. The usual problems in this city (and i think generally in this area of Italy), is the parking, so me and Marsy was dropped off by the ticket office while Gianfi parked the car. However, it was not the right ticket office! This company does not have a ferry to Procida! Off we go to ask directions for another place, rushing as there is only 15 minutes until the ferry goes – according to the timetable on the website. We find the other place, but as we reach it, they tell us that the ferry is not leaving at 9am, but at 8.50am. The exact time we have reached the office. Fortunately there is ANOTHER company as well, that also goes to Procida, and has a departure at 9.25, which fit perfectly since we were meeting some other people on the island who were departing from Naples – problem fixed! The ticket was a little more expensive, but manageble. Off we went on the ferry, where we got to see how beautiful the area is from the seaside.

On the island we meet up with a group of cochsurfers/coachsurfing hosts from Naples. Being part of that community is a really great way to meet new people!

 

We decided to take a small walking tour on the island, before heading to the beach afterwards, so we started by heading towards the centro storico, the historical centre. What that exactly includes, I don’t know – we just took it nice and easy not worrying so much. Either way, we saw some beautiful things on the way.Most of the time we were going upwards, which was a little tough as the sun of course was shining strong on us. But I managed to avoid a sunburn! Think my skin is becoming more used to the sun. We found a great spot where we could look down on the Marina Corricella, looking so beautiful with its pastel coloured houses, boats, mountains and of course the beautiful waters.

We continued further up, where we also came across a little church. Again, which I am not sure, but sometimes I enjoy getting lost in things without having to know the entire history of it.

After this the group split up, some going for the beach, others going to get lost in the small streets for the food and me with two others, to eat lunch in the marina. Probably the most beautiful locations I ever ate at! Again, pictures says it all. So charming. I really felt like I was in the Mediterranean dream. Which I actually was.

All the restaurants was overflowing with seafood dishes, which I absolutely love, so of course I went for the mixed seafood antipasti platter, and since this was the first place I’ve been able to get oysters (which of course I also love), I had to order 3 of them as well. I added a picture of my friends pasta dish as well, just because it looked so delicious!

After a lovely meal, we headed towards the beach to meet our friends. This was the beach in the other end of the island, called Spiaggia Chiaiolella. Here we just swam around (I had brought goggles and saw a bunch of fish and crabs), lay in the sun and played a bit of frisbee!

Marsy and Gianfi did a little hunting though! They were actually searching for mussels, but instead they found sea urchins! And a nice bunch of them, which they then brought home to cook for dinner.

Whether or not they managed to open and cook them (which can only be done with the females as it is actually the eggs you use!), I do not know, because I had different plans in the evening. Either way it was an amazing trip, and on the ferry ride home I got some more nice shots! This island is definitely worth a visit, such a charming place and not to overrun with tourists, even though we were there in the middle of the most busy month of the year.