Lets
go to.... PROCIDA
A short
distance away from the coasts of the Neapolitan area, Procida is
the most maritime of all the islands in the Gulf, and yet the least
known. It is the ideal place for a weekend of sea and nature, in
a boat if at all possible. From the port, Marina del Sancio Cattolico,
after a walk among craftsmen's workshops in hidden courtyards, you
easily reach the Terra Murata fortress quarter to find the Medieval
Aragonese fortress and the Benedictine Abbey of San Michele with
its splendid terraces overlooking the sea. You
are at the heart of the island, a fascinating maze of long and narrow
alleyways lined with intoxicating lemon orchards, homes and stern-looking
buildings in typical yellow, rose and light-blue colors. Elsewhere,
too, there are quiet routes by farmhouses and the historic center
marked by elegant early 18th-century doorways in lava rock.
The panorama may be enjoyed from the height of Punta Solchiaro or
from the Pizzaco Peninsula. A good dinner can be had in the restaurants
of the Chiaiolella district (the small tourist roadstead) after
passing by a cluster of fishermen's homes. Likewise, for an enchanting
stroll in untouched nature and among free-roaming animals and sub-tropical
Mediterranean plants, there is only place: Vivara.
The
old hunting ground of the Bourbon Royal House, the smaller islet
is a protected natural oasis, with rich wild fauna and luxuriant
flora of myrtle, strawberry trees, young oak trees and so on. Once,
this area could only be accessed from the sea; now, however, a small
bridge connects the islet to mother Procida. For visitors who reach
Procida by sea, there are a number of small coves and inlets strung
along the coastline, inspiring you to swim or nap if you don't feel
like a tour around the island. Yet, by day's end, you will not want
to have missed a refreshing, relaxing pause at Corricella. Here,
amidst boats and fishermen's nets, you sit in the shade of long
stairways and houses that have communal courtyards where you can
enjoy pleasant, fresh, lemon ice-water at any time of the day.
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