In the waters of the Gulf of Naples, between the Phlegrean islands and the marine protected area of the Kingdom of Neptune, there is a small island that fascinates everyone with its wonders: the spectacular Procida, Neapolitan pride, elected capital of culture 2022.

A much-loved destination for tourists, Procida amazes its visitors with the cheerful pastel colors of the fishermen's houses and its spectacular landscapes and sunsets. Riches that have inspired such literary figures as Elsa Morante, who describes it in her Arthur Island and directors, such as the beloved Massimo Troisi who shot on the island many scenes from the famous film The Postman. What is also fascinating about Procida are the mysterious legends and incredible tales, born in an indefinite time that are now part of the island's history.

The origin of the name Procida: between history and beliefs

The name of the island of Procida has remained unchanged for a long time. There are several hypotheses related to its origin, which even today appears as an unsolvable mystery. The Romans They called it Prochyta, which would be derived from Prima Cyma, i.e. next in Cuma. According to this hypothesis, the name stood for not only the geographical location of the island but also how it was to appear to the eyes of sailors.

Those arriving from the sea in fact saw this small island behind which the Parthenopean land was silhouetted. Thus, according to some, the island was colonized by the Greeks even before Cuma was founded. In a reconstruction by the philosopher Abbate Scotti, who was born in Procida in the 18th century, however, the appellation Prima Cyma or its abbreviation Pro Cyma, could have come from the mispronunciation of a Hebrew or Aramaic term that indicated the island's proximity not to Cuma but to the Cima, that of Cape Miseno, which stands just behind his back.

According to assumptions made at the time of the Greeks, the name of the island would derive from the term pròkeitai, meaning to lie, as the small land appears when viewed from the sea. Geologically, Procida is a land of volcanic origin, born as a result of earth movements caused by the force of magmatic activity of as many as seven volcanoes. From the resulting deformation of the earth's crust, Procida appears to have emerged, whose name would be sought from the Greek verb prochyo: hence the term proikeein, meaning profuse, lifted or put out of the depths of the abyss.

Procida in Greek legend and myth

The Roman historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus, said. Dionysius, he imagined a fantastic story. During his studies, in fact, Dionysius came across the great epic poem of Virgil, l'Aeneid, which recounts the legendary exploits of the hero Aeneas. In his story, Aeneas' nurse was named Procida and died at sea during the hero's voyage to Rome. So Aeneas decided to bury her on a small island near Vivara, which would carry the name of Procida forever from that day forward.

Greek mythology provides yet another explanation for the origin of Procida: the Gigantomachia, a bloody battle that occurred between the Olympian gods and the Giants. The latter rebelled against the gods and challenged them off the coast of Cape Misenum. The mighty gods succeeded in defeating the three giants and punished them thus: on the shoulders of the giant Typhoeus they threw Ischia, the immense Vesuvius, on the other hand, crushed Alcyoneus. To the last and smallest of the three giants, Mimantus, fell instead Procida, under which he still lies today.

The legend of St. Michael the Archangel

The island of Procida was often plundered by the raids of the pirates. In 1535, however, landed on the beaches of Procida the dreaded Barbarossa who put the island to the sword. At this dramatic siege the islanders were unable to resist and it is said that they invoked the help of their patron, St. Michael the Archangel. The latter took up the cry of his protégés and descended menacingly from the sky, brandishing his fiery sword in his hands. The pirates, frightened and helpless in the face of all this, could only flee away in a storm of lightning that raged against them. As a sign of deep gratitude, the islanders dedicated the abbey overlooking Torre Murata to the saint.

What are you waiting for to see the sites of these fascinating tales up close?