isole flegreeprocida and vivara type:archaeological/historic/landscape interest:
Geologically, Procida was created by the eruption of four volcanoes, now dormant and submerged and, for this reason, it belongs to the places of the Flegrean Fields. The island derives its name from the Latin name Prochyta. According to another theory, the name comes from Prima Cyme, meaning 'near Cuma'. Yet another theory says that 'Procida' comes from the Greek verb prokeitai, meaning 'it lies forth', because of the appearance of the island seen from the sea. Procida was held by Mycene in the period between the 16th and 15th centuries b.C. During the 8th century b.C the first Greek settlers to this island were immediately replaced by other Greek peoples coming from Cuma. During Roman rule, Procida became a renowned resort for the patrician class of Rome. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Byzantine reconquest in the Gothic Wars, Procida remained under the jurisdiction of the Duke of Naples. With the Norman conquest of Southern Italy, Procida experienced feudal dominion under the control of John of Procida, counselor to Emperor Fredrik II and leader of the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers. In 1744 King Charles III of Bourbon made Procida a royal game reserve. The island was made famous by poets like Virgil, Boccaccio, Lamartine, Di Giacomo and Morante thanks to its natural and landscape beauties. The harbour of Marina Grande welcomes visitors with its coloured houses and, by here, is easy to reach the quarter of Terra Murata, the highest place of the island, born as refuge from the Saracen incursions. During the half of 16th century the island was granted to the D'Avalos family that ordered the construction of the Castle, first used as a military district and then as prisons. Here there is the church of Saint Michael, with its beautiful decorations made by the apprentices of Luca Giordano. Very striking is the so-called Corricella, a little port of fishermen. On the East side of the island there is the Chiaiolella beach, attended most by families during the summer. This is the most worldly place of the island for the presence of many restaurants. For anyone who loves folklore and traditional cooking, there are many opportunities to visit the traditional feasts and appreciate the famous Procidan lemons and artichokes. The islet of Vivara flanks Procida to the south-west and is connected to it by a bridge; it is the littlest island of the Flegrean Fields. It is a crescent-shaped remnant ridge of an ancient volcanic crater and derives its name by the rabbits farming wanted by the Bourbon (vivarium means “ farming of hunting animals). During the ‘30s, the archaeologist Buchner has discovered fragments of Mycenaean pottery, left by Greeks who were there many centuries before the Ancient Greeks colonized the bay. This event has allowed to formulate interesting hypothesis about possible villages between Vivara and the capes of Mezzogiorno, Alcala and Capitello. Now the islet is a WWF oasis for the preservation of the local flora.
