“... Then a long, slow wasting away of body and mind on the island of Procida, of which little but blood-chilling legends was known”. Norman Lewis, Naples '44
Procida – Lewis is writing in his book about a, by now abandoned, prison on the beautiful island of Procida in the gulf of Naples. One part of the prison was originally a castle, built in the 16th Century by Innico d'Avalos, who was an Aragonese general, it was named 'Castello d'Avalos'. It stands on the highest point of the island in the town of Terra Murata, with a spectacular view over to the bay of Naples, the Vesuvio and the coastline of Amalfi and Sorrento. When the Bourbons ruled the kingdom of Naples, a new prison was needed and they transformed the Castello into a prison. The traditionally huge halls were made into cells - some bigger, some small most of them with the view to the port or the bay of Naples. There are tiny punishment cells with hardly any daylight, too. Suffering of large scale must have been experienced here.
The Bourbons fell – the prison stayed. The importance of the prison was growing and an annex was needed, which was build in the early 20th Century. This part of the prison seems even more daunting. The cells were facing the court yard, the walls are thin and built with cement, some of the cells were in the basement. Procidan winters are very humid and wet – how must have the conditions been in those cells...?
From what some islanders told me, the prison had some heavy duty inmates, criminals connected to the Neapolitan Camorra, the Fascist regime, apparently even a high ranking Bourbon general was behind bars for seven years when the kingdom was overthrown and Italy united.
The prison was finally closed in 1988, due to financial issues and the location. Everything including the prisoners had to be brought by ship to the island, the transport costs were high. It was also the islanders themselves that wanted this dark chapter to end and to move on – the island of Ischia is right next to Procida was blooming with its tourism.
The prison still belongs to the Italian government and is by now a listed building. Since its closure the prison is locked up for any outsider. There are still today two guards employed by the government to overlook the state owned property. There is no way to get into it legally - the Italian bureaucracy is making it impossible. The only way in, is by climbing over the fence, marching for a substantial time through thicket on the one side of the “new prison” and eventually crawling through a rusty gate. Once there it is breathtaking what you come across - there is so much stuff left behind, so much evidence and history and lost souls too, apparently.
The future for the prisons is uncertain. Currently the Italian government is handing over properties to the municipalities; well, and the Procida municipality could see a Casino and luxurious hotel build in its place... A rather weird idea, considering the fact that you have Naples in front of your doorstep – the Camorra would not wait for too long to be involved in the business; so far the island has been not the target of this criminal syndicate. There is a strong and hopefully successful procidan lobby for a better future of this impressive and historical place.
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[caption id=“attachment_415” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“The prison that once was a castle.”]
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[caption id=“attachment_416” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“Corridor. Heavy wooden doors, rusty locks and plaster covered with mould”]
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[caption id=“attachment_417” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“Tiny cells - my back is leaning on to the window”]
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[caption id=“attachment_418” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“Years of neglect - a transformation of the cells is happening”]
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[caption id=“attachment_420” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“Uniforms, mattresses, shoes, books left behind. Evidence in abundance.”]
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[caption id=“attachment_419” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“One more wind blow is needed and the door will fall down, maybe…”]
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[caption id=“attachment_421” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“He must have left in a hurry and forgotten the shoes.”]
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[caption id=“attachment_422” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“The bath and its grand entrance. I can almost smell the soap…”]
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[caption id=“attachment_423” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“The very dark chapter - a cell polstered with cotton and wooden floor, no bed and hardly any light once the door was closed. Many prisoners probably lost their sanity in these cells.”]
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[caption id=“attachment_424” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“The punishment cell from the outside. Imagine the thoughts of the prisoner when the door was locked for the first time?!”]
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[caption id=“attachment_426” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“One of the workshops. At a closer look, you can see that wood, varnish, tools etc. are still there. As if left behind yesterday.”]
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[caption id=“attachment_425” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“Administration. The bowl and plate turned for drying and untouched for the last 22 years. Time passes quickly…”]
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[caption id=“attachment_427” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“The beginning of the prisoners sentence. Welcome to Procida.”]
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[caption id=“attachment_428” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“Yes, it's still there. The authorities seemingly didn't bother to put it away. Names, birthday and place of birth all neatly written down.“]
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[caption id=“attachment_430” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“Mirror mirror on the wall when can I get out of here…”]
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[caption id=“attachment_444” align=“alignnone” width=“600” caption=“The only trusted and the beauty - Jesus and a red plastic rose. For how long must they have been there and comforting prisoners?”]
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