L'island of Procida, jewel of the archipelago of the Phlegraean Islands, is a place capable of winning the hearts and imaginations of travelers. The most illustrious case is represented by one of the greatest authors of the Italian twentieth century, the great Elsa Morante, who precisely in Procida set one of his masterpieces. The novel "Arthur's Island", thanks to which Morante in 1957 was the first woman to win the Strega Prize, is in fact developed entirely within the 4 km² expanse of Procida's territory. Here young Arturo lives his childhood and adolescence, hatching grandiose dreams without ever setting foot outside the small island where he was born and which seems to live in symbiosis with him. For Arturo, leaving Procida will mean abandoning the illusions and sweetnesses of childhood and performing a rite of passage into adulthood.

Although Elsa Morante warns us from the outset that the description of actual places will be subject to the "arbitrariness of the imagination," there is nothing to prevent us from immersing ourselves in the atmosphere the author so masterfully delineates. Let us discover Arthur's Island together through an itinerary that winds along the recognizable places among those mentioned in the novel, as well as the sights that inspired its creation.

The Gardens of Eldorado

Our itinerary on the places of "L'isola di Arturo" can only begin in the place where the novel was born, that is, the place where Elsa Morante was inspired and began to write it. We are talking about thehotel Eldorado, built at the end of the 19th century and known for having hosted illustrious travelers such as Alberto Moravia, Vasco Pratolini and Toti Scialoja. Its fame, however, remains inextricably linked to Elsa Morante, who in its gardens overflowing with the scent of lemons began to write what would remain some of her finest pages.

The facility was taken over by the City of Procida to open the Elsa Morante Literary Park there, a project that to date is still in the making. The gardens in which Arturo Gerace began to take shape on paper are opened to the public only in September, on the occasion of the literary prize named after the great writer.

Procida as seen through Arturo's eyes

One of the very first pages of "The Island of Arthur" is devoted entirely to the description of Procida. In this small chapter, called simply "The Island," we can admire the mastery with which Elsa Morante captures in a few lines the essence of these places she loved so much:

"The islands of our archipelago, down there on the Neapolitan sea, are all beautiful. Their lands are for the most part of volcanic origin; and, especially near the ancient craters, thousands of wild flowers grow there, the like of which you never see again on the mainland. In spring, the hills are covered with gorse: you recognize their wild, caressing smell, as soon as you approach our ports, traveling by sea in June. Up the hills toward the countryside, my island has lonely straits enclosed between ancient walls, beyond which lie orchards and vineyards that look like imperial gardens."

Continuing the description, Arturo's attention focuses on the Procida sea. Every islander cannot but have a special and privileged relationship with the sea, but in Arturo's case it is a particularly deep bond: the crystal-clear sea is the backdrop to our protagonist's childhood adventures and is at the same time an insurmountable boundary that protects him from the outside world. Arturo loves this sea, knows it like the back of his hand and lives in symbiosis with it:

"[The island] has several beaches with clear and delicate sand, and other smaller shores, covered with pebbles and shells, and hidden among large cliffs. Among those towering rocks, towering above the water, nest the gulls and wild turtle doves, whose voices, especially early in the morning, can be heard, now plaintive, now cheerful. There, on quiet days, the sea is tender and fresh, and rests on the shore like a dew. Ah, I would not ask to be a seagull, nor a dolphin; I would be content to be a scorpion fish, which is the ugliest fish in the sea, just to find myself down there, frolicking in that water."

The harbor, Christ of the Fishermen and the Church of St. Mary of Mercy

Landing on Procida, the first impact we have with the island is the area of the port. Arturo describes it in picturesque strokes, showing it as a place refractory to fashion and protected from the rest of the world.

Elsa Morante's imagination transfigured and added details to the harbor area, which makes it difficult to find precise correspondences. However, we can speculate that the "statue of Christ the Fisherman" is a reference to the Icon of Christ Crucified, also known as Christ of the Fishermen, which is located precisely near the harbor. The icon was made in 1845 by the fishermen of Procida and placed near the old Church of the Sailors of Procida.

This very church is mentioned by Elsa Morante, who, however, never explicitly states its name and enriches it with details of invention. The church is known today as Church of St. Mary of Mercy and St. John the Baptist. It is one of Procida's symbols, dominating the Marina Grande square and welcoming visitors who land on the island.

The hill of Terra Murata and Palazzo d'Avalos

The hill of Walled Earth is the highest point on Procida. Here lies the oldest form of settlement on the island, a village of medieval origin. The main attraction, however, is Palazzo d'Avalos, the "castle" that will play a decisive role in Arthur's life. Built in 1563 to house the eponymous family of governors of the island, Palazzo d'Avalos was transformed into prison in 1830 and maintained this function until 1988.

"...in Procida the houses, from those numerous and dense down by the harbor, to those more sparse up the hills, to the isolated farmhouses of the countryside, appear, from a distance, just like a flock scattered at the foot of the castle. [...] To the ships that pass offshore, especially at night, nothing appears of Procida but this dark mass, so that our island seems like a fortress in the middle of the sea. For about two hundred years, the castle has been used as a penitentiary-one of the largest, I believe, in the whole nation. For many people, who live far away, the name of my island means the name of a prison."

The penitentiary overlooks Procida from above and awakens the curiosity of Arturo, who since childhood feels a special "sympathy" for the inmates and their tragic fate. The boy, who grew up with only the company of his books, can only imagine them as romantic and virile heroes worthy of his total respect.

To date, it is possible to visit Avalos Palace booking a guided tour. We recommend booking in advance so as not to risk missing the tour of this iconic place.

Vivara

The small island of Vivara, also part of the Phlegrean Islands archipelago, is today connected to Procida by a bridge. In Arthur's time, however, the bridge did not yet exist, and Vivara could only be reached by boat. For Arturo, the islet of Vivara is inextricably linked to his childhood raids with his beloved dog Immacolatella. With her the boy spent the summer setting sail on his boat, the "Torpediniera delle Antille," making his way to the wild Vivara:

"When, having crossed the small strait, we landed on the deserted islet of Vivara, which is only a few meters from Procida, the wild rabbits would flee at our arrival, believing that I was a hunter with her hunting dog. And she would chase them a little, just for the sake of running, and then come back to me, glad to be a shepherdess."

This pristine paradise has been a protected wildlife oasis since 1974, only to be finally declared a nature reserve of the state since 2002. Great-grandchildren of the wild rabbits chased by Immacolatella still populate the island of Vivara, whose rich seabed is a must-see destination for scuba diving enthusiasts.

Belvedere Elsa Morante

Let us return to Procida and get ready to take our ferry back, but first let us enjoy one last intense panorama full of all the exceptional colors of the island. We will do so starting from a very special place: in 2017, the Municipality of Procida in fact decided to name a belvedere located in Via Pizzaco after Elsa Morante.

During the ceremony that made this tribute to the great author official, Procida Mayor Dino Ambrosino and Cultural Councilor Nico Granito gave the following reasons for their choice: "In the pages of her book, Morante imprinted her strong attraction to this land, and with the magic of her pen she celebrated and spread the beauty of Procida to the whole world."

From the Elsa Morante Belvedere it is possible to admire the crystal clear sea that embraces Marina Corricella, the fishing village that helped make the island of Procida famous worldwide: in fact, it was here that Massimo Troisi shot some of the most beautiful scenes of his latest masterpiece, "Il postino."