“Then a long, slow wasting away of body and mind on the island of Procida, of which little but blood-chilling legend is known”.
Norman Lewis – Naples ’44
Usually people escape from a prison. I’ve broken into this one, out of curiosity and to get a sense of this incredible place, to find out if I can get a feeling of what it must have been to be imprisoned there. I did and it was scary.
I took the guardian plate as a souvenir.
I’m eating out of it to this day.
It’s my favorite plate.
In it’s origin the prison was a palace. It was called “Palazzo d’Avalos”.
In 1560, Cardinal Innico D’Aragona commissioned the construction of Palazzo D’Avalos in Procida. This palace was to become his residence, and as such it was meant to be an impregnable fortress as well as an elegant Renaissance residence.
In 1734 the Borbone took possession of Procida, turning it into a hunting site. Towards the end of the 18th century, after the proclamation of the Neapolitan Republic, the Palazzo D’Avalos was closed and abandoned until 1818, when a military school was established at the behest of the Borbone who, in the meantime, had returned to power.
In 1830, the structure was transformed into a penal colony by Ferdinand II. The floors, frescoes, and stuccos were removed to create the kitchen, cells, and common areas; the large portals were walled up, and a moat was dug near the courtyard to provide light and air to the underground prisons where the individuals considered to be the most dangerous, including political prisoners, were held. The hall on the upper floor was used as a prison chapel. Other sections were added to the fortress including a large factory, a wing to house the families of the guards, and the director’s villa.
The prison housed also some prominent fascist figures; the cells of Palazzo d’Avalos were occupied by prisoners until the 1970s. In 1988, the structure was permanently closed.