On a small plot of land by the harbor on Procida, a picturesque little island just an hour’s ferry ride from Naples, a group of kids join forces to help a man build an oversized paper boat. I asked for
The paper is water-resistant and German artist Frank Bolter plans to take it to sea. Once all the necessary (huge) creases have been made, the heavy but surprisingly sturdy-looking contraption is hauled to the beach.
After making sure the ship is reliably seaworthy, Frank is rescued and towed by a friendly sailing vessel to begin its maiden voyage in the Mediterranean.
It’s one of the hilarious and eccentric pieces of performance art that marks the inauguration of a previously unnoticed destination, Procida, as Italy’s cultural capital.
One of the locations used as a filming location for Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow’s 1999 film Mr. Ripley, Procida usually favors its more flamboyant Gulf of Naples sisters, Capri and Ischia and overlooked.
But this year, this charming and vibrant island is in the limelight.
From the moment I arrive, I fall in love with the white, Neapolitan ice cream buildings. Board his one of the island’s compact electric buses (free until the end of the year) to my hotel in Chiaiorella on the water’s edge.
Drivers navigate impossibly narrow roads, navigating the sometimes steep streets effortlessly on electric bikes as the scent of honeysuckle permeates the air, dodging delivery vans that throw themselves out of alleyways, the intrepid Nonne. and nonni (grandmother and grandfather) often overtake them.
While the island is mostly visited by knowledgeable Italians from the mainland, this year’s program of cultural projects aims to attract a wider audience, with 240 international artists ranging from music to art and film. I am aiming for
This is the first time the title has moved to the island, and the laid-back locals are very proud. Chat with his handsome, rugged-faced 78-year-old Vincenzo, who owns Ristorante Graziella in the impossibly beautiful fishing village of Coricella, where each building is the color of candied almonds.
As he ate spaghetti with lemon sauce, a local delicacy, he said to me,
His friend Julia, who volunteers with the initiative, adds:
I notice this when I say hello to passers-by or stop by for a quick gossip outside the supermarket (with just 10,000 inhabitants, the island is less than 2 square miles in size).
Then, climb the winding slopes past lemon and olive trees to Terra Murata, a walled area at the top of the island that was first inhabited in the 15th century.
They perched here to escape pirates, including Barbarossa and his gang, later fictionalized as Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Dominating the skyline is Palazzo d’Avalos, built as a fortress and home to a series of aristocratic families before being converted into a prison in 1830. It is now used for events and exhibitions and offers spectacular views over Naples and Vesuvius. , coastline black volcanic beach.
I dipped in the water at the end of the day and squinted my eyes for Frank’s presence, only to hear later that his boat trip had passed without incident.
That night the sunset is impressive, changing from pink to orange to deep purple. Procida is colorful to the end.
Rooms at the Grand Hotel Oriente, Naples, from £158pn. Crescenzo Hotel rooms from £104 per night.
Download the Procida app for bus and ferry timetables and more. For more information, please visit procida2022.com and visitprocida.com.
Flights to Naples from £75 round trip via Wizz Air. Ferries from Naples to Procida via Caremar start at £14 one way.
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