In the Mediterranean, there are incredible places that offer visitors wonderful holidays, with natural landscapes that look like something out of a magazine. The Gulf of Naples, with its three main islands —Capri, Ischia, and Procida—, is one of those settings where travelling is not just about looking, but about letting yourself be moved by what happens around you. Here, every corner seems designed to balance body and mind, even if you’re not consciously seeking it.

Procida: the most intimate stop

Procida is the smallest and perhaps for that reason also the most authentic. Its colourful houses along the coast form a beautiful postcard. Yet what truly stays with you is something else: the everyday life that carries on without worrying about visitors.

Mornings on the island begin with the smell of freshly baked bread and the brief bustle of the port, where fishermen unload their catch. As the day goes by, the rhythm slows down. Walking through the narrow streets leads to hidden squares, modest terraces, and a silence that seems impossible so close to Naples. At sunset, the sunlight transforms the façades into golden tones, a spectacle that repeats itself every day but is never the same.

Capri: the stage and its backdrop

For decades, Capri has been synonymous with glamour. The Blue Grotto, with its almost unreal azure water, and the Faraglioni rocks rising from the sea, are its most recognisable symbols. But reducing the island to its most touristy image would be unfair.

Walking beyond the famous Piazzetta reveals another Capri, less obvious. There, the paths that wind between pine trees and terraces offer views of the sea that invite you to pause. At night, the island regains its theatrical nature: illuminated shop windows, crowded restaurants, a constant murmur. What makes it fascinating is this tension between the spectacular and the intimate, as if Capri is always playing at revealing and concealing.

Ischia: the land of well-being

Ischia is the largest and also the most complex. Its nickname, the “Green Island,” refers to the lush vegetation covering hills and valleys, but its true uniqueness lies underground: the thermal springs that have been used for healing purposes since ancient times.

The Aragonese Castle, perched imposingly on volcanic rock, recalls the island’s history, while the gardens of La Mortella show another, more serene side. And in the midst of this landscape, accommodations such as the Hotel Floridiana in Ischia integrate into their offering the use of thermal baths and spa treatments. They are not presented as a superfluous luxury, but as a continuation of an ancestral practice that defines Ischia: the idea of well-being as part of everyday life.

The experience here is not limited to rest. Climbing Mount Epomeo, walking among orchards, or stopping at volcanic beaches completes a vision of the island that moves between the physical and the sensory. Each activity seems designed to remind travellers that well-being is not only in treatments, but also in the way you inhabit the place.

Between islands and crossings

The ferry crossing from Naples to the gulf is not just transportation: it is the transition between two worlds. The urban noise fades with every mile, and when the silhouette of the islands appears, with their mountains and cliffs, you feel that the journey has truly begun. Visiting Capri, Ischia, and Procida in just a few days is possible, but staying on just one also makes sense. Each island holds a different rhythm and forces you to adapt. The truth is that, after exploring them, there is a lingering feeling that something is missing: an unexplored corner, a cove not yet discovered, a conversation cut too short. And perhaps it is precisely that absence that invites you to return.