Italy · Sorrentine Peninsula
Yacht Charter Nerano
A pebble bay at the end of a valley, a protected headland beyond it, and a plate of pasta named after the village.
Nerano is on the far side of the Sorrentine peninsula from Sorrento, facing south towards Capri, and it is small: a village up the hill and a pebble bay below it at Marina del Cantone. Two things brought people here. One is the Bay of Ieranto around the headland, which has no road to it at all. The other is a plate of spaghetti with courgettes that was invented in this bay and is now cooked, badly, across half the world.
Marina del Cantone, and the dish
The bay is pebble rather than sand, deep close in, and lined with a handful of restaurants that have jetties instead of car parks — which tells you how people are expected to arrive. Boats anchor off and come in by tender, and the tables are effectively on the water.
Spaghetti alla Nerano is courgettes fried slowly until they collapse, Provolone del Monaco, basil and the starch water, and nothing else. It was invented here in the 1950s and the two houses that claim it are both still on the beach. Ordering it anywhere else on the coast is a reasonable test of the kitchen.
Ieranto, and the marine park
Round the western headland lies the Bay of Ieranto, a double cove under Punta Campanella with no road, no building and no landing stage — reachable on foot over the hill in forty minutes or from the water. It was a limestone quarry until the 1950s and has been left to come back since; the quarry scars are visible and the water is the clearest on the peninsula.
The whole headland is a marine protected area, zoned, and the zones matter: anchoring is prohibited in the inner one, restricted in the second and open in the third. The crew hold the current chart. This is why the water here looks the way the rest of the coast used to.
Practical notes
- Marina del Cantone is pebble and deep close in; boats anchor off and come in by tender
- The Bay of Ieranto has no road and no landing stage: it is reached on foot over the hill or from the water
- Punta Campanella is a zoned marine protected area — anchoring is prohibited in the inner zone
- Capri is thirty minutes across; Positano is twenty-five minutes east along the coast
Reached from: Positano, Capri and Marina di Stabia
Where to dine
A table by the water
Lo Scoglio
Marina del CantoneOn its own jetty at the end of the bay, growing the vegetables above it, and the reason half the coast books ahead.
Maria Grazia
Marina del CantoneThe other house on the beach, and the other claim on the dish that carries the village's name.
Quattro Passi
NeranoUp in the village above the bay, with two stars and a cellar cut into the rock beneath it.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Bay of Ieranto
A double cove under Punta Campanella with no road and no landing stage, reached on foot or from the water.
Punta Campanella
A zoned marine protected area, which is why the water here is what the rest of the coast used to be.
Marina del Cantone
A pebble bay whose restaurants have jetties instead of car parks — arrival is expected by sea.
Li Galli
The three islets off Positano, twenty minutes east, bought by Nureyev and still privately owned.
The fleet
Yachts available for Nerano
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Nerano
- What is spaghetti alla Nerano?
- Courgettes fried slowly until they break down, Provolone del Monaco, basil and pasta water. It was invented in this bay in the 1950s and the two restaurants that claim it are both still on the beach. It is a short list of ingredients and almost everyone gets it wrong.
- Can we anchor in the Bay of Ieranto?
- Not everywhere. Punta Campanella is a marine protected area divided into zones: anchoring is prohibited in the innermost, restricted in the second and permitted in the third. The crew hold the current chart and will place the boat accordingly — it is why the water there is what it is.
- What does a yacht charter to Nerano cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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