The Blue Life: Procida Island
Explore Series by Lane Oliveri for Branwyn, : A Travel Friendly Wool Performance Underlayer
As part of an Active Lifestyle Travel series with Branwyn, photographer Lane Oliveri shot exploring the beaches of the Italian island of Prochida off the Amalfi Coast.
Lane: “In the way that explorers felt lured by the dark corners of the map, I find myself seeking out lesser-known destinations. Procida is a small island 40 minutes by boat from the bay of Naples, blessedly overshadowed almost entirely by the lure of the Amalfi coast and the celebrity-frequented isle of Capri.
Due to this lucky overlooking, it is a preserved haven of deep blue beaches, walkable shops, and restaurants; blessedly free from the hoards of tourists and fully retaining its authentic Italian charm.
Families take their holiday here and children have reign to wander, as the island is safe and small. In contrast to summer locations where it is the desire to “see and be seen”, the air is full of a relaxed and easy sense of just being.
To explain how I came here at all, I have to take a slight detour; two years ago due to some poor vetting and mismanagement on the part of AirB&B, I found myself stranded in Naples without a place to stay. In true traveler’s luck, however, I had barely arrived before I was adopted. “So and so knows so and so, will you join us for this? Would you like to try that?”, quickly became a story of fast friends and a blur where packed days and long social nights bled together. I was pulled deep into the city’s general chaos, complete with fireworks, dancing, food, and sightseeing. I left with the plans to be back, and Procida Island was recommended to me by not one but several local Napolitans as being the secret gem of the region.
When I planned this photoshoot in Procida I reached out to my friends in nearby Naples to ask for recommendations to hire local models. A flurry of options was quick in coming, but one young woman stood out above the rest and made my choice for me.
Once I met her in person it was even more evident why. Her personality practically shone, she had an obvious internal strength paired with a kindness that was immediately endearing. She expressed that she is usually shy and it was so nice to shoot in such a dreamy setting.
The natural formations of the Island made stunning backdrops for our shoot and a relaxed pace of allowed us to capture real moments.
Randy spoke almost no English and my Italian is even less, but this proved not to be a barrier because we both have passable Spanish and she had a natural model’s intuition so it was easy enough to give direction by way of motions and gestures.
We had a sun-kissed yoga session, hiked the island barefoot, and swam with Prochida’s quaint and colorful fisher village bright behind us in the Mediterranean sun. It’s summer days like this that stretch out time to its natural pace, with afternoons rich in hours unkept by clocks.
Italians aspire to the Dolce Vita, a concept lost on Americans who are taught from a young age to be consumers and producers, always seeking more rather than training themselves to luxuriate in the richness of life’s simple moments. This subtle difference in perspective changes the goal of living in an extraordinary way, by not constantly wanting “more”, a person actually enjoys more. Much more.
This shoot will always evoke memories for me; of this tiny enchanting Mediterranean island with is local flavors and low key way of life.
