Why Naples and Procida are the Perfect Italian Getaway

Having previously visited Naples, and made no secret of my love for the gritty city, I knew I would be back someday. If you look at images promoting the Campania region in southern Italy, alongside gratuitous pizza pics, longing shots of iconic footballer Diego Maradona and photos of vespas careering through narrow streets, you’ll usually see a picturesque seaside village resplendent in pastel shades. I always wondered where this charming, if quaint-looking spot was as it didn’t really fit the look of the port in Naples I knew. I love the city, but the seafront area here can be best described as ‘functional’.

A little research later – it is my job after all – and I had my answer. This was Procida, a short ferry ride from Naples and it seemed like a perfect accompaniment to my next visit to the city. But would the two go well together and was I out of my mind for wanting to blend the hustle and bustle of Napoli with the laidback style of a tiny island?

One thing I did know was that I wanted to explore Naples without the crowds. Italy in the summer is a hotspot for tourists and the responsible way to visit is in the shoulder season. The city itself is a year-round destination, but Procida only really opens up to visitors from April onwards. I did the sensible thing then, I booked a flight for the end of March and straight on to Procida on April Fools Day!

There is a method to this madness. It’s cheaper – the flights and hotels were particularly well-priced – and moreover it’s great to explore places where you want to spend time at leisure without others getting in the way of those all important selfies. I always find a more genuine welcome in the shoulder season too.

Flying into Naples is a thrilling experience. The airport is close to the historical city centre so try to claim a window seat (ideally on the right hand side of the plane). You’ll get excellent views on the approach and I’m pretty sure I caught a glimpse of Procida too. I certainly saw the imposing Mount Vesuvius in the background, although you can see that famous landmark from most parts of Naples.

The airport is small, so if you’re travelling light you can be through passport control and sipping your first espresso within minutes of landing. Even better, it’s just a short 20 minute bus ride into the heart of Naples, or a comfortable one hour walk if you are so inclined. If you’re planning on eating as much pizza as I was, then the exercise will be welcome. I took the walking option on the return journey, but as it was a late flight I handed over 5 euros and was on my way. You can buy tickets at the airport or directly on the bus itself, and you get dropped off just outside Napoli Centrale – the central train station. The service does continue onwards to the port area, so double check which point is closest to where you are staying. I was a further 20 minutes away from here in the downtown district, so I continued my journey on foot. One tip is to avoid taxis in Naples as they are massively overpriced. You can walk everywhere once you are in town and there is a metro service as well as reliable buses. A transit service is planned to go directly to the airport when the metro is extended in the next few years.

As Naples is quite confined, you’ll find many hotels are actually laid out more like apartments. Most won’t have manned reception areas and you often organise your arrival and departure online. As I was not checking in until late evening I was given a code to enter the building, a set of directions to follow and then a set of keys to get to my apartment. It can feel like a lot of instructions to follow, but the process is so prevalent here that it rarely goes wrong. Your hosts are usually available on Whatsapp anyway, so you have little to worry about. I was in my room very quickly, and again as it was just about the start of the tourist season, my building was surprisingly quiet.

This also made it easy to grab my first pizza of the trip and I made my way to Pizzeria da Attilio to sample what was recently voted the best margherita in the world. There was a small queue outside, always a good sign, and I was seated within 30 minutes. Expect waiting times to quadruple in the summer and prepare to end up eating on the street outside if you haven’t booked in advance. I wanted to find out more about why pizza is such a revered dish in Naples and had organised a quick bite with Gino Sorbillo at one of his pizzerias for lunch the day after.

To make the most of my limited time, it was an early night followed by an early start. I was looking forward to wandering the streets of Naples, and you can easily get around with a map (digital or otherwise). Plan your route in advance and aim for the popular spots as early as you can. I wanted a sfogliatella, the signature crumbly pastry of the region, and a coffee to start the day and got to Scaturchio in good time to get a table upstairs. You can also have this delicacy to go, but just be aware that one of the signs of a good sfogliatella is how quickly it falls apart in your hands. It’s as messy as it is delicious!

There are two main areas you will want to visit in Naples. I was saving the Spanish Quarter (Quartieri Spagnoli) for the afternoon, so the rest of the morning was in the more touristy historical district. There’s really just one main road that separates the two, but they are quite distinctive the further you delve in. If you’re feeling peckish then a traditional cuoppo fits the bill. The small paper cones hold all manner of fried treats and the seafood options are the ones to go for.

I wasn’t surprised to see pictures, posters and statues honouring Maradona, but I was taken aback by how many there were. Since my last trip here in 2019 the iconic footballer had passed away and the team had gone on to recreate some of the success they enjoyed in the 1980s with the Argentinian talisman, but his legacy has not diminished. You’ll see football jerseys with his name and number hanging everywhere and it speaks to how much the diminutive genius connected with Naples that his aura continues to grow.

I then ended up at Sorbillo, the flagship pizzeria of brothers Gino and Toto Sorbillo. It was lunch time and Via dei Tribunali was heaving by this point even on a drizzly Tuesday. It was on this famous street that the Sorbillo grandparents opened their first pizzeria in 1935. Gino is now something of a local celebrity and he was gracious enough to share some of his tips with me. The ingredients of a classic Neapolitan pizza are simple, it is essentially a classic margherita, but the key is in the fresh produce and the base. The thickness and texture of a true Neapolitan base is so special that it has garnered UNESCO status. Gino surprised me by insisting that the pizza should spend no longer than 1 minute in a pre-heated oven. I was doubtful, but the resulting slice he served me was the best pizza I have ever had. When it comes to pizza, always trust a Neapolitan.

While you’re here, be sure to try a limonata a cosce aperte. The ‘split-legged lemonade’ experience involves necking a drink which has a dash of baking soda added to it. The only way to avoid spoiling your trousers is to drink it as quickly as possible with your legs apart. This might be one for gullible tourists, but I certainly had fun trying it. Before I made my way to the Spanish Quarter I stopped off at Pulcinella: The Lucky Charm of Naples. This distinctive figure is a part of Naples lore and rubbing his nose is meant to bring good fortune. I might be needing that.

The dark and narrow streets on the other side of Via Toledo are the Naples you have always been warned about. Supposedly dangerous, and I don’t doubt they once were, today they are a lively, noisy and boisterously unrepentant part of the city. Washed clothes dry on lines hanging between the buildings with scooters swerving on cobblestoned streets accompanied by a constant orchestra of low-powered engines and screeching horns. Every route seems to be connected and somehow heading uphill, with the only colour against the grey buildings being the sky blue of the local football team. The effigies of Maradona are ubiquitous and the only other celebrity afforded wall space is Sofia Loren, who also has a strong connection to the city.

I picked up a pizza a portafoglio – a folded wallet pizza – which is the perfect street food here and made my way to the top of the hill. It was an exhausting day and I had one more stop to take in after dinner. The objective was to complete the trifecta of must-try pizza types here and it was time for the pizza fritte at Pizza 3.0 Ciro Cascella. Either I was already too full or this heavy, meat and cheese filled fried dish was not quite on par with the other bites I had already sampled. Looking back on it, I really did eat a lot of pizza…

Piazza del Plebiscito is a vast plaza with a notorious tradition locals swear by. On one end of the centrally located hub you have the entrance to the Royal Palace and on the other two large statues of horses. When you arrive here, don’t be surprised to find people stumbling around aimlessly walking in bizarre patterns. Legend has it that it is impossible to walk from one end of piazza del Plebiscito to the other with your eyes closed. Centuries ago Queen Margaret allegedly cursed the square when challenging prisoners to take the challenge blindfolded, if they succeeded they would be granted freedom. Today, people try to do the same 170 metre walk yet the failure rate is high. Just how hard can it be to walk in a straight line? Is it a curse? Is it the uneven cobbled floor with misleading acoustics? Is it partaking in one too many meloncellos at nearby restaurants before taking on the ancient queen’s gauntlet? All I know for sure is that I walked for several minutes and somehow ended up completing a perfect semi-circle and had to be forcibly stopped from walking face first into a wall on the same side that I had started from. Abject failure.

Thankfully my second day in Italy would involve less walking into solid objects. In fact I wouldn’t be walking all that much at all as I had planned to hop on a boat and take a trip to Procida.

There is a conventional, one would argue more sensible way to do this compared to the option I had chosen. A ferry from the port very close to the centre of Naples takes about 35 minutes and operates a regular service. This is ideal if you want to make a last minute trip or if you don’t fancy tackling the waves in the Gulf of Naples in a small craft. You can also travel to Capri and Ischia, and all for a relatively small fee using the ferry.

My journey, however, involved a taxi to Monte di Procida – a 45 minute drive from my hotel. I know I said you should avoid taxis, but a pre-booked one with prices confirmed in advance is an acceptable compromise when no other options are available. I had to make friends with the driver as he would be picking me up at the end of the day too, so I didn’t press him about why his colleagues charge so much.

Arriving at the small dock which directly faced Procida, I was in time to see some of the fishermen packing away their nets for the day. I suspect these guys get slightly annoyed by people walking up to them and constantly taking pictures, but as I was one of the first tourists they would have seen all year they were more than happy to pose. They actively encouraged it!

A small boat soon arrived to escort me to Procida via the scenic route. Ferries and larger boats will take you to Piazza Marina Grande, a perfectly nice seafront point which is also the side of the island you will see if you are passing by on your way to Ischia or Capri. This in itself already has a wow factor and I was prepared to use what was left of my phone memory on pictures and video here. Luckily, my captain suggested I hold on as he was going to take me to the other side of the island to Marina di Corricella. If you’re wondering where those colourful images of Naples come from, it’s this spot right here. To capture the ultimate view, head up to Panoramica sulla Corricella – your social media notifications will thank you later.

Only small boats can stop here, so do think about investing a little extra to fully enjoy Procida. It’s a small community that does well in summer but when the bulk of tourists are away this is about as idyllic as it gets. There are a number of small, boutique hotels you can stay in but it’s also just about the right size for a day trip. I wouldn’t want to spend less time than that here, because you can explore the caves, lush greenery and cultural heritage of the place on foot once you dock. You might recognise the buildings and quaint streets from the 1994 film Il Postino.

To say you’ll meet a wide variety of characters on the island would be an understatement. From friendly waiters to grizzled fishermen, there’s a slice of authenticity everywhere you look. I sat down for lunch at ristorante da Maria alla Corricella and was able to complete my Italian character bingo as Maria herself emerged from the kitchen to sit on a nearby table. This absolute legend is the definition of a jovial nonna and had just opened up her eatery for the first time this year. With glistening grey hair and a cheeky grin she began speaking in Italian to one of her team who in turn explained that Maria was the person who had caught most of the seafood that was being served up on my plate herself. You do wonder at moments like this how much of that is a line being spun for tourists, but sure enough I was then shown pictures of my chef and host wrestling with a shark she had caught a few years ago.

The food was delicious, of course. Freshly fried octopus, fish and vegetables. The side salad was a simple mix of diced lemons with onions, which despite my reservations tasted sublime even with the skin on. Maria also explained that the shark was carefully released back into the sea once she had untangled it from the nets, they don’t serve that here.

The entire experience, from Naples to Procida had lived up to all my expectations and exceeded them. I’m always wary about revisiting places I love just in case the magic is gone from my first trip there but with Naples I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the place. It keeps you honest and offers something exciting to remedy the cookie-cutter tourist experiences of other cities.

I’ll tire of pizza before I tire of Naples.

Discover Italy and pick your favourite region for the perfect trip this year