Visit to the Graziella house museum

Visit to the Casa di Graziella Museum in Procida

The Casa di Graziella Museum is entirely dedicated to the figure of the young girl from Procida as told in the well-known novel by Alphonse de Lamartine. The guided tour of the Casa della Graziella in Procida lasts about one hour. During the tour it is possible to appreciate the typical settings of the era (mid-19th century), with furnishings, traditional clothes, agricultural tools and furnishing accessories. The house-museum is a reconstruction of a house of the time with all objects dated 1800-1900, but clearly not really belonging to Graziella. Equally impressive is the visit to the terrace overlooking the sea.

Where is the House of Graziella

The Casa di Graziella Museum is located on the second floor of the Palazzo della Cultura (formerly the conservatory of the orphans) in the village of Terra Murata. Organized groups, agencies and school groups are welcome. It is strongly recommended to book a visit to the Graziella House Museum Look for it on Google Maps

The true story of the Graziella

De Lamartine’s novel is autobiographical. Initially it was part of another work of the same genre, Les Confidences. It was later converted into a novel in its own right. The story tells of the French writer’s journey to Italy between 1811 and 1812. During his visit to Procida, the young Alphonse, then just eighteen, meets a young islander, renamed in the book as Graziella. A deep and pure love breaks out between the two, interrupted by Alphonse’s return to France. Graziella falls ill with tuberculosis and shortly before dying she sends Alphonse a heartbreaking letter in which she begs him not to forget her. The myth of Graziella The figure of Graziella as a symbol of the typical Procidan woman, beautiful and sunny, over the years assumes the aspects of myth, until it becomes in 1939 a summer competition, during which the girl with the most beautiful typical Procidan costume and somatic characters is awarded closer to Graziella’s ideal. The award ceremony of “La Graziella” (held every year between July and August) cannot be defined as a beauty contest, it is rather a time to rediscover the deepest roots of the island.