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Capital City: Roma
Population: 58,057,477
Languages:Italian (official), German
(parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking),
French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene
(Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
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The
charming island of Procida lies like an undiscovered garden next to its vibrant
sister islands Ischia and Capri. Flourishing gardens and fragrant lemon and
orange groves bewitch visitors with their lush beauty. Procida is the smallest
and oldest island in the Bay of Naples and is, like Ischia, of vol-canic origin.
Arriving at the harbour Marina Grande you'll have the wonderful view of
fish-ers' houses in pastell colours, being reflected by the deep blue water.
From here you can walk or take a threewheeled microtaxi up the steep road to the
S. Maria delle Grazie church. Here you can enjoy the view on the picturesque
fishing port Corricella. Corricella was a vulcano crater, around which a
char-acteristic, colourful town developed. The Abbey church San Michele Arcangelo, the highest point on the island, lies closeby. It is worth a visit
because of its library “Biblioteca dell’abbazia”. Further down in the noble
palace, surrounded by palms and Bougainvillea, is the oldest nautical college of
Italy (Istituto nautico Francesco Caracciolo
Along
the southwest coast of Procida lie beutiful beaches, the yacht harbour Chiaiolella and the small island Vivara that is connected with Procida by a walkbridge. Since 1974 it is a nature reserve, accommodating rare birds and
plants.
The island is well known for its Good Friday procession, which origin can be
dated back to 1627. In accordance with the spanish tradition of misteri,
religious representations of Christ's suffering are carried through the streets.
Good Friday night a wooden statue of the dead Christ is carried to the high-est
point of Procida on the backs his faithful followers. The following morning a
mourning procession, accompanied by trumpets, starts, during which crosses and
relics are carried through the streets.
Until today Procida has been spared from mass tourism, which can't be ascribed
to the former jail, towering above the island. This ex-jail was also the
fortress of Giovanni da Procida. It is, however the inhabitants who want to
restrict tourism, which is why only a few small hotels and private accommodation
are to be found. The most restaurants are in the main town at the harbour. A few
well-known films have already been shot in Procida. |