From the Chiaiolella to the Vivara bridge

Route map

Stop-by-stop route

1. 1

   Marina della Chiaiolella

   Marina 20 min

   You start from the marina harbour, at the south-western end of the island. It is the area with the most facilities after Marina Grande: bars, pizzerias and restaurants looking onto the water, moored boats, the L2 bus line that comes in from the harbour. Here there is road access, and that makes the Chiaiolella the handiest base on the island for anyone who does not want to do steps. The front looks towards Vivara and, behind it, towards Ischia.

   Tip: Buy your water for the whole route here. Further on, and above all on the islet, there is nothing.

2. 2

   Chiaiolella beach

   Beach 20 min

   The busiest and best-served beach in Procida, with dark volcanic sand and water that stays shallow a long way out. It runs between Punta Serra and the headland of Santa Margherita Vecchia, with equipped beach clubs alternating with free stretches. Many people call the southern stretch the Ciracciello: the tourist portal treats it as part of the Chiaiolella, other guides treat it as a separate beach. On the spot there is no visible boundary.

   Tip: Nobody publishes the beach clubs’ prices: if you want a parasol and sunbeds, ask the price before you settle in.

3. 3

   The tuff stacks

   Viewpoint 10 min

   Two tuff stacks separate the Chiaiolella from the Ciraccio. They are the visual landmark of this whole side of the island and the point where the beach changes character: behind them the sand opens out, stretches away and empties.

   Tip: From here on the beach catches the wind. In the afternoon, with the mistral, the sand starts to fly.

4. 4

   Ciraccio beach

   Beach 30 min

   The long open stretch of sand on the west coast, quieter and windier than the Chiaiolella. It alternates free stretches with equipped ones, gets sun all day and has no natural shade. In the afternoon it is exposed to the mistral. If you do not fancy walking this far, this part of the route is the easiest to skip: turn back and head for the bridge.

   Tip: Two island guides call it the longest stretch of sand in Procida, while the tourist portal gives that distinction to the Chiaiolella. Nobody publishes a measurement: look and judge for yourself.

5. 5

   The headland of Santa Margherita Vecchia

   Viewpoint 15 min

   The headland that closes the Chiaiolella beach to the north is named Santa Margherita Vecchia. It is from here that, from the second half of the sixteenth century, the Dominicans moved up towards Terra Murata to escape the Saracen raids, founding the church of Santa Margherita Nuova on the ridge above the Corricella. Looking at this headland and then thinking of the fortified acropolis on the other side of the island explains Procida’s defensive geography in one go.

   Tip: It is a stop for looking, not for visiting: do not expect an equipped archaeological site or any signage.

6. 6

   The bridge to Vivara

   Bridge 20 min

   The footbridge that links Procida to the islet of Vivara. It is not open to vehicles, and it also carries the water main that supplies Ischia: a bridge that is also a piece of infrastructure. From here you see the whole volcanic crescent of Vivara, with the coast falling within the Regno di Nettuno marine protected area. For anyone who has not booked, the route ends exactly here, and that is not a disappointment: the view from the bridge is the photograph everybody takes home.

   Tip: The gate does not open by “asking nicely”. The slots have a fixed capacity, a maximum of 25 people, and they are booked online before you leave home.

7. 7

   Riserva Naturale Statale Isola di Vivara

   Reserve 2 hours 30

   Only for those with a ticket. The reserve was established by ministerial decree on 24 June 2002 and covers about 36 hectares: 0.4 square kilometres, a perimeter of about three kilometres and a highest point at 110 metres. The islet is uninhabited and privately owned. The guided visit lasts two and a half hours on average, with a maximum of 25 participants per slot. The main event is not only the nature: there is a Bronze Age settlement here with imported Aegean pottery datable to between the 17th and the 14th century BC, identified by the archaeologist Giorgio Buchner in the 1930s and systematically excavated from about 1975. On the age of the crater the sources disagree — they range from a few tens of thousands of years to figures very different from one another — so we will say only that it is much older than the human settlement.

   Tip: Flip-flops and unsuitable footwear are forbidden: you need walking boots. Anyone turning up in sandals does not get in, even with the ticket paid for.

8. 8

   Back along the Chiaiolella seafront

   Marina 45 min

   You come back the same way and finish where you started. The seafront at sunset is the best moment in this area: the sun goes down behind Ischia and the tables fill up. The long-standing seafront restaurants are here, and the L2 line back to Marina Grande also leaves from here.

   Tip: Out of season the last bus is around 21:00 and the summer evening services disappear. If you stay for dinner in October, check the time of the last bus back first.