Check Out The Italian Island Giving Cinque Terre A Run For Its Money

When it comes to beautiful coastal towns, Cinque Terre is a masterpiece. There’s an abundance of dramatic cliffs, stunning harbour views, pastel coloured houses and – maybe most importantly – some of the best food and wine in all of the Mediterranean (this is the home of pesto, FYI). But if you’re put off by the sheer popularity of the place, we might have a solution.

This is Procida, and though it looks a hell of a lot like those famous five towns strung along the rugged Italian Riviera coastline, there’s one obvious difference. Procida is an island – and a bloody beautiful one at that.

Procida is part of the Flegrean Islands, found off the coast of Naples in Southern Italy. Even though it’s over 650 kilometres away – and several notches down the ‘boot’ – Procida bears a striking similarity to Cinque Terre. The houses, the picturesque seaside views, the way the casas stretch back vertically from the sea – it’s uncanny.

But – and it’s a big but – Procida is a lot quieter than its twin villages. Hotels are few and far between, and you’re definitely going to have to brush up on your Italian if you want to order the island’s signature dish insalata al limone (a delicious lemon salad infused with chilli oil).

But that’s all part of its charm.

Exploring the city by foot is a must – head back from the quiet beaches towards the harbour restaurants and up to the hills for some prime sightseeing.

Nice, right? But shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone.

(Lead image: hillman54/Flickr)

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