The author’s passion for the island of lemons leaks from his every word. Read the interview, come and browse among Ciro Bruno Linardo’s most loved places of Procida.

Introduce yourself to Movery readers.

My name is Ciro Bruno Linardo. I am a banker, a trade unionist and a trainer with a great passion for other people. I also love traveling, reading and sports. I am a father, a son, a brother and a husband, strictly in order.

Your book, #ProcidaNonDeveMorire (in eng. #ProcidaMustNotDie), conveys the importance of slow living to you. Tell us more.

I live in Pozzuoli and, until three years ago, I played a traveling role that led me to change often branch. My rhythms were hectic. In the city, life turns at a thousand per hour, in the traffic a horn sounds every second, work rhythms are stressful, and there are classic family commitments too. I mean… a delirium!

I then discovered, across the sea, a small island, only four square kilometers away, where people walk rather than run, often you can ride electric bikes and people still smile and say hello to strangers.

I have therefore rediscovered the pleasure of slow living, that is to say life with right rhythms, walking looking at the fantastic panorama and stopping to chat with customers in front of the counter, without eliciting the ire of others.

Part of the income from your book will be donated to charity. How did you get to know Sahrawi culture?

I met this wonderful people through the neapolitan non-profit organization “Bambini senza confini” which hosts Sahrawi children for about two months in the summer as part of a national project. Today, I am treasurer of this onlus and friend of sahrawi people. This role gives me huge satisfactions and represents one of the most beautiful things I have chosen to do in life. I am deeply proud of being part of a charity project because when you approach these realities you do it with the aim of giving, but soon you realize that what you receive is exponentially bigger. Your heart fills with love.

You wrote the book en route to work in Procida. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of writing from your smartphone?

I called my book a boat book because this story, born for fun, was entirely written during the slow and magnificent navigation of the Motorship Macaiva to and from Procida.

The advantage of writing on the smartphone is the immediacy of writing and therefore the story is spontaneous and truthful because it is written just while observing a place or a fact. The disadvantage is the loss of sensitivity of the fingertips. I’m looking for them on Amazon, but I still can’t find them for sale.

What does it mean for you to travel?

I’m a serial traveler on forced standby due COVID-19. I have no vices and everything I save I spend on travel experiences. I’m in the middle of a withdrawal crisis because I’m a planner in full Movery style. I buy the guide months before, I plan the trip with my family. I have also been in the Maldives and Israel organizing everything by myself. My journey begins already when I buy plane tickets, rent a car, then I read the guide and consult the network for accommodation. I look for informations on blogs and, on social media groups of italians living in the place I decided to visit.

I also travel to teach my daughter Lorena to move around the world, on this wonderful planet full of beauty, for eyes able of seeing it…

As a regular visitor, what are the three places not to be missed in Procida?

Three places are few but I tell you that my absolute favorite place is Terrazza dei Cannoni from which you can hear the voice of silence and admire the colorful houses of the charming Corricella.

Then, there is Terra Murata , the highest point of the island, from which you can glimpse a wonderful view of the Gulf of Naples and the whole view from Punta Campanella to Capri and Ischia.

Finally, I would like to point out ponte di Vivara , a bridge which connects a small island to a small rock. It is also a protected area. From there, you can admire the volcanic cone delimiting the underwater crater: it shows the vitality of nature.

Procida is a lifestyle, it is not just a physical place and therefore it must be preserved. My motto is “do not tell the world that Procida exists, but, above all, do not tell Procida that the world exists“.