Procida is located between Capo Miseno and the island of Ischia. It is less than 4.1 square kilometres (1.6 sq mi). Its coastlines, very jagged, are 16 km (9.9 mi). The Terra Murata hill is the highest point on the island (91 metres (299 ft)).
The 20th century saw a crisis in Procidan shipbuilding due to competition with industrial conglomerates. In 1907 Procida lost its mainland territory, which became independent and is commonly called the Mount of Procida (Monte di Procida). In 1957, the first underwater aqueduct in Europe was built in Procida. In the last few decades, the population has slowly begun to grow. The economy remains in great part tied to the marine industry, although the tourist industry has also grown.
There are many religious traditions on the island tied to the period of Holy Week before Good Friday. The most evocative of these are the Procession of the Apostles of Holy Thursday and the Procession of the Mysteries of Good Friday. The last one is based on a tradition going back to the end of the 17th century. In the procession, the young males of the island, dressed in the traditional dress of the “Confraternity of the Turchini”, carry allegorical wagons (called “mysteries”) of religious character for a fixed distance, from the village of Torre Murata to the port of Marina Grande. The “mysteries”, often highly artistic, are prepared by the young people and generally, nobody except them would have, at least in theory, seen them before the procession. After the procession, they are taken apart or destroyed. Every summer, there is an election of the Graziella (“Little Graceful”), a young woman that wears the customary clothes of the island, referring to the history told in Alphonse de Lamartine‘s novel, Graziella. Also during the summer, a literary award dedicated to Elsa Morante and her novel, Arthur’s Island, is presented.
Procida has been chosen from among several Italian candidate cities to be the Italian Capital of Culture 2022. On 18 January 2020, the Italian Minister for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, Dario Franceschini announced the reasons that led to this choice: the cultural project has well-structured local and regional public and private support, giving importance to the heritage and landscape dimension of the place. In relation to this, the artisanal dimension has been emphasised, given by the small workshops that characterise the tradition of the Mediterranean islands. The project encompasses characteristics such as authenticity, sustainability of development, culture of the islands and coastal areas of the Bel Paese.
