Procida is the smallest island in the bay, four square kilometres, and was Italian Capital of Culture in 2022. It is also the only one of the three that does not live off tourism: people still fish here, and it stays inhabited through the winter.
Marina Corricella, with its fishermen's houses painted ochre, pink and blue rising in tiers above the little harbour, is one of the finest sights in the Mediterranean — and it is genuine, not restored for the cameras.
Getting there from the B&B
As with Ischia, the direct connection from Sorrento is seasonal and not daily: it runs roughly April to October. Out of season you go via Naples, where departures from Beverello or Calata Porta di Massa are frequent.
Sorrento's port, Marina Piccola, is seven minutes' walk from the B&B. Check the day's timetable: direct sailings are few, and missing one means rebuilding your day.
Getting around
Mostly on foot. You can cross the island in an hour's walk, and minibuses cover the rest. There are few cars and the lanes are very narrow: bringing your own is a poor idea.
You land at Marina Grande. From there it is twenty minutes uphill on foot to Terra Murata, and down the other side to Corricella.
What to see
- Marina Corricella, the fishermen's quarter. Reachable only on foot, by steps. Go in the late afternoon, when the sun catches the facades side-on.
- Terra Murata, the highest point, with the Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo and the former Bourbon prison. The view from up there takes in the whole bay.
- Marina di Chiaiolella, the marina on the far side, and from there the bridge to Vivara, a nature-reserve islet with regulated access.
- Chiaia beach, reached down a stairway of nearly two hundred steps. The descent is easy; the climb back less so.
The food
It is the least-told reason to go. The restaurants at Corricella work with the local catch and their prices carry none of the mark-up of the famous islands: you eat well and pay mainland rates.
Try sea urchins in season — Procida has historically been the bay's capital for them — and pasta with shellfish. The Procida lemon, large with a thick sweet pith, is eaten in salad: it sounds odd and it works.
When to go
May to October. But Procida is also the island that handles the shoulder season best: in April and October it is mild, empty and perfectly liveable, and the direct links from Sorrento are often already running or still running.
Our advice
It is the antidote to Capri. If you have already given a day to the famous island and found it too much, give half a day to Procida: it costs less, it is smaller, and it will not ask you to queue for anything.
Closed shoes: the island is all steps and cobbles.
The colorful houses of Procida