Population genomics: Background, tools, and programming

Participants will be accommodated at the Albergo La Vigna. Students will be accommodated in shared rooms. Breakfast is included.

Procida is less than 4 km from the mainland and easily accessible by ferry or hydrofoil from Naples. Naples can be easily reached by fast train from Rome, as well as by direct international flights.

How to reach Procida from Naples Harbour

The main companies operating ferries and hydrofoils to Procida are Caremar and SNAV. Ferries (traghetto) reach Procida in about 1 hour, hydrofoils (aliscafo) in about 30 minutes. If you opt for the hydrofoil, you can buy your ticket and then access the passenger area from Molo Beverello. If you take the ferry, walk to Porta di Massa and enter the harbour area from the main entrance; then walk to your left (facing the sea) until you reach a large building on the right which gives access to ticket counters and the passenger area. Please note that ferries and hydrofoils stop at Procida harbor and then proceed to Ischia: please make sure you get off the boat at the right island!

How to reach Naples Harbour from Naples Airport

Buses (called Alibus) run from the Airport to Piazza Municipio; the ride takes about 30-35 minutes, depending on traffic conditions, and it costs € 5. Tickets can be bought on board. Alibus can be found right outside the arrivals area. Information on the Alibus can be found here.

Taxis have flat rates from Capodichino to Molo Beverello (€ 21): in order to have the flat rate applied to your ride you should explicitly request it when boarding the cab.

How to reach Naples Harbour from the Naples train stations

If you have travelled to Naples by train, you can take Linea1 from Piazza Garibaldi to Municipio (for hyrdofoils leaving from Molo Beverello) or Università (for ferries leaving from Porta di Massa).

Taxis have flat rates from the train station to Molo Beverello (€ 13): in order to have the flat rate applied to your ride you should explicitly request it when boarding the cab.

How to reach Naples by train

The central train station is "Napoli Centrale" also known as "Napoli Piazza Garibaldi". Fast and frequent trains connect Naples to Rome. To book a train there are two train companies: Trenitalia and Italo.

The island of Procida

Procida is a small island in the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, situated between the mainland and the larger island of Ischia, of about 10,000 inhabitants. Procida includes the nearby island of Vivara, covering 0.4 square km, and both form part of the Phlegraean Islands.

The island is around 3.4 kilometers from the mainland, across the Procida canal and is linked by a narrow bridge to the nearby island of Vivara.

From a geological point of view, the island is entirely of volcanic origin, starting from the eruption of at least four different volcanos (dated between 55,000 and 17,000 years ago) which today are inactive and mostly underwater. Procida is very similar to the zone of Campi Flegrei as regards formation, morphology and from a geological perspective. The island is formed principally of yellow and grey tufa with traces of other volcanic materials such as basalt.

The centre of the town is traditionally divided into nine sections known as grancie: Terra Murata (the oldest part), Corricella (a typical fishermen’s village), Sent’Co, where the main port Marina Grande lies, San Leonardo, Santissima Annunziata (also known as Madonna della Libera), Sant’Antuono, and Sant’Antonio e Chiaiolella (a tourist port at the southern end of the island).

Terra Murata

The highest point on the island is Terra Murata (91 meters) overlooking a fortified mediaeval town. Terra Murata is the historical centre of Procida. It goes back to the early middle ages and for safety reasons was the only inhabited nucleus of the island for a long time. It stands on the highest promontory of Procida, 90 meters above the sea level with its cliffs falling sheer into the sea. Its name comes from the old way of dividing the island into zones called Terre: there was the Terra for wheat, that for grazing, the Terra for vines, the Terra for cultivation and lastly the Terra Casata, where all the houses of the inhabitants were grouped together for defence purposes. In the sixteenth century the whole town was fortified and the adjective which described the Terra changed from Casata (house) to Murata (walled) and has kept this name to this day.

Local transport

Procida is small enough that you could walk most of the distances on the island. However, you can get around using the little island buses, which run frequently from the harbour. You can buy tickets from the driver, although it's cheaper to buy them in advance in a bar or tabacchi.