Chiaiolella
Procida
KnownFree beaches
The story
The crescent-shaped little harbour on Procida's gentler side, with moored boats, tables at the water's edge and the bridge that leads from here towards the island of Vivara.
Access
FREE
The story
Marina di Chiaiolella is the little harbour and marina at the south-western tip of Procida, in an inlet that is the rim of an ancient crater. It is the seaside heart of the island, with its dock of boats and fishing vessels, the restaurants on the water and, in front, the bridge that leads to the protected islet of Vivara.
What to see
The lively little harbour with the coloured boats, the long beach of Ciraccio a short distance away and the view of the island of Vivara: the sunniest and most seaside side of Procida, where you spend the day by the sea and the evening at dinner on the harbour.
How to get there
- Hydrofoil
- Ferry
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
Chiaiolella is the best-equipped seaside area of the island, handy for the beaches (Ciraccio, Chiaiolella) and as a starting point for Vivara. You get there from the centre by bus or on foot. In high season it is crowded; the beaches alternate free stretches and establishments.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Chiaiolella?
The little harbour and marina at the south-western tip of Procida, in an inlet that is the rim of an ancient crater: the seaside heart of the island, in front of Vivara.
What do you do at Chiaiolella?
You enjoy the little harbour, the nearby beaches (Ciraccio, Chiaiolella) and the restaurants on the water; it is also the point of access to the island of Vivara.
Where is it?
At the south-western tip of Procida, in front of the islet of Vivara.
More gems in Procida
VillagesMarina Corricella
Procida
The oldest fishermen's borgo (old village) on Procida, an amphitheatre of pastel houses tumbling down to the harbour, where the boats sleep beneath the hanging laundry.
Sacred artTerra Murata
Procida
The ancient core of Procida climbs the yellow tufo (volcanic tuff) headland, between defensive walls and narrow alleys, suspended between the little harbour of Corricella and the horizon of the bay.
Sacred artAbbazia di San Michele
Procida
Behind the walls of Terra Murata, the abbey dedicated to its patron Michael guards paintings, an antique presepe (nativity scene) and catacombe carved into the tufo, its vault turned towards the sea.
- ◆ Views & panoramas
Belvedere Elsa Morante e dei Cannoni
Procida
From the terrace named after Elsa Morante, among old cannons trained on the bay, the view opens onto the Corricella and its pastel houses heaped upon the water.
- Free beaches
Spiaggia del Pozzo Vecchio ("del Postino")
Procida
The dark-sand beach where Massimo Troisi filmed Il Postino, tucked below the cemetery and the tufo walls, with shallow water and the stillness of a film set never struck.
- Free beaches
Spiagge di Chiaia
Procida
A long stairway leads down to it: a broad stretch of sand and shingle sheltered by high tufo walls, with the fishing boats of the Corricella colouring the background.
More gems: Free beaches
Free beachesBaia di Ieranto
Nerano
The bay protected by the FAI that looks across at the Faraglioni of Capri, reachable only on foot among olive trees and scrub, with the clear water of an old quarry.
◆ Free beachesFiordo
Massa Lubrense
A cleft in the rock where the sea slips in, narrow and green, almost always shaded beneath high walls: you don't come here for the sun, but for the silence.
- ◆ Free beaches
Lido delle Monache / spiaggia libera di Posillipo e Riva Fiorita
Posillipo
Tiny coves among the rocks, once the bathing place of the nuns of a convent above the sea: almost secret free beaches, reachable mostly from the water.
- ◆ Free beaches
Baia di Trentaremi
Posillipo
A bay closed in by high cliffs of yellow tufo (volcanic tuff), with caves cut by the Romans: no road reaches it, only the sea and the kayaks slip in among the rocks.
- ◆ Free beaches
Capo Miseno e porticciolo di Acquamorta
Bacoli/Monte di Procida
The headland that closes the gulf and, at its foot, the little harbour of Acquamorta with the boats hauled ashore and the water shallow and clear.
- ◆ Free beaches
Cala di Mitigliano e grotta
Massa Lubrense
A path through olive trees drops down to the rocks, Capri looks an arm's length away, and the cave opens in the water like a hall of shadow and salt.