The Fisherwoman of Procida

Procida is one of the lesser-known islands off the Amalfi coast. A secret gem of quiet beaches, hidden coves, and sleepy villages lost in a maze of razor-thin, walled streets. Corricella is one of these villages, a 17th-century port surrounded by a tiny but colorful community perched over the Mediterranean with deep roots in fishing and maritime trade.

In Italy, fishing is a job dominated by men. Look at any port on Italy’s winding, craggy coastline, and you’ll only find men doing this demanding and often dangerous work. That is, everywhere but Corricella, where a 70-year-old woman named Maria has broken this stereotype for over 50 years. 

Fishing in Corricella, Procida

Maria has been an integral part of the Procida fishing tradition since her youth. Her entire family lives in Corricella in homes stacked like multi-colored dominos above the harbor. Each bungalow faces the sea, and all are painted in bright, some might say garish, colors so that the crews on fishing boats can always see their homes from miles away.

“Well we fishers…when we headed out to fish, to recognize our homes, everyone would paint their home the color they liked,” she explains, “Back then it was very bright colors-but because here in Corricella the sun is scorching hot, the colors have faded.”

Maria has lived in Corricella her entire life. Her earliest memories were playing in the warm waters and helping fishing crews rig their boats and mend and clean their nets. As a young woman, she soon joined these crews on their pre-dawn excursions in search of the daily catch and eventually became a respected crew member. As her knowledge of the sea grew, her entrepreneurial spirit took over, and she purchased her own fishing boat. It was then that another opportunity opened up.

“Well, I’d go fishing, and then, in the evening with my friends, I’d cook all the fish I’d fished,” Maria remembers, “And then one day, my daughter said, “Mom, if you like cooking so much, you should open a little restaurant.” And so the Ristorante da Maria alla Corricella was born. 

Ristorante da Maria alla Corricella

Maria’s restaurant is as close to the water as you can get, without getting your feet wet. It features a quaint outdoor patio adjacent to the line of fishing boats tied to the sea wall (hers being one of them.) Maria’s restaurant is a perfect example of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Food is collected, purchased, and prepared daily close to the source, ensuring that nutrients are high and preservatives are unnecessary. 

It’s inspiring to see a woman like Maria in her 70s as vibrant and engaged as a teenager. But perhaps even more heartening is the example she’s creating for the next generation. Women like Maria are breaking traditions – leading the way for younger generations of businesswomen. Italian culture has always valued the matriarch, the Nonna, so to speak, who sits at the center of the family. But history from ancient times has often silenced women in literature and the historical narrative, so it’s wonderful to see women like Maria writing such a positive counter narrative in a male-dominated industry. 

Procida is quiet, and Corricella is even more so, as no cars are allowed in the village. Maria points out that fishing boats are the only form of transportation here. She goes everywhere on foot, like most locals, and her home is part of the restaurant. The kitchen is downstairs on the harbor, and Maria lives upstairs with her husband. She can show you where her sons and daughters live in the village simply by pointing to the color of their homes. 

It’s the simple lifestyle and centrality of her existence that makes Maria’s life on Corricella so inviting. She’s rewriting tradition as the first fisherwoman of Procida who cooks what she catches at the most successful restaurant on the island.

“It is a simple life, made of simple things,” Maria concludes, “Here we have the sea, which is everything to us.”