Procida

Procida is a small island near Ischia and the home of Gianni di Procida in the story of his love for Restituta. Its significance is modest but vivid: it is the point from which he repeatedly crosses the water to see her, making the island part of the story’s geography of devotion and pursuit.

Setting and Connection to Ischia

Procida is described as lying near Ischia, where Restituta lives. The two islands are linked by Gianni’s journeys: he travels from Procida to Ischia by day to visit her, and, when he cannot find a boat, sometimes swims there at night simply to look upon the walls of her house.

Gianni’s Departure and Search

When Restituta is abducted from Ischia, Gianni follows the trail of her captors. He equips a pinnace and searches the coast from La Minerva to La Scalea, asking for news; after learning that she has been taken to Palermo, he goes there in pursuit. The search carries him far beyond Procida, but the story establishes his home island as the starting point of his attachment to Restituta and his repeated efforts to reach her.

Narrative Significance

Procida is not the setting for the abduction or reunion. Instead, its importance comes from the crossings that connect it to Ischia: Gianni’s willingness to swim when no boat is available gives the island a role in the story’s early measure of his devotion. The later search enlarges that pattern from a recurring passage between neighboring islands into a determined pursuit along the coast and onward to Palermo.