Procida is the smallest inhabited island in the Bay of Naples — barely four square kilometres — and for one year it was Italy’s Capital of Culture. Locals will tell you the island changed nothing on purpose. Pastel harbour houses, fishing boats, lemon groves. You get the whole thing from the water.

Ischia sits right next door and it is volcanic to the core — thermal springs run under the whole island, and locals have been soaking in them since Roman times. Anchor off, swim in warm mineral water, and try not to feel smug about the people stuck in traffic on the mainland.

The name Procida comes from the Greek for “poured out” — and the island’s fishermen have been reading this water for thousands of years. The real secret is the afternoon thermal breeze: it fills in almost like clockwork, gives you a few hours of perfect sailing, then dies at sunset. Plan your hops around it and you look like a genius.

Capri’s Faraglioni rocks are the postcard, but the move is to arrive by sea in the early morning before the ferries. Your skipper anchors, you swim under the arch, and by the time the crowds land you are already sailing somewhere better. That is the whole advantage of having your own boat.

A catamaran does not heel, does not roll and does not rush. Your morning coffee stays in the cup, your guests stay in a good mood, and the skipper gets to look like the calmest man in the Tyrrhenian. Add solar power and the generator stays off — the anchorage stays as quiet as the postcard promised.