Italy/Prochida/Discover It!

Island Star

If you can take your eyes off Jude Law for a moment, check out some of the hypnotizing scenery of "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Venice & Rome aren't the only stars. Some of the movie's prettiest settings take place on little Procida. A bucolic "sleeper" of an island, only a stone's throw from Naples.

Not much shopping beyond basics. No great restaurants. No luxe hotels. For that matter, not for tourists at all. Unless you can appreciate an island that "beats to its own drum." Self-sufficient & self-reliant for the most part. But that's what makes it great. That and the island's natural beauty & architecture.

One of several locations, Procida was perfect for the carefree Italian lifestyle of Law's & Gwyneth Paltrow's characters. Set in 1958, they are seen enjoying the mellow, confectionary-colored neighborhood of Marina Coricella (although their houses in the movie were actually on Ischia). Today, it's just about the same fishing port it's always been, with cobbled streets & narrow alleyways. Men still mend their nets by their boats, kids run around bouncing balls & women hang wash out their windows. Nothing gussied- up for tourists.

We were told that the bright lights of Hollywood stars converging on the island didn't seem to phase the islanders. Even though locals got to be "extras." And Paltrow supposedly fell in love with Procida while shooting there.

Discover Procida through "The Talented Mr. Ripley." What you see of the island isn't a fantasy. Procida is a real beauty. A natural for some of the movie's best scenes. We're just glad they invited Jude along for the ride. He goes so well with the setting!