Area marina protetta Regno di Nettuno, Marine protected area in Gulf of Naples, Italy

The Regno di Nettuno is a marine protected area surrounding the islands of Ischia, Procida, and Vivara in the Gulf of Naples, covering about 11,000 hectares of sea surface. The zone is divided into sections with different levels of protection, ranging from strict reserves where no activity is allowed to areas where regulated boating and fishing can continue.

The marine protected area was established by decree of the Ministry of the Environment on 27 December 2007, covering the sea around Ischia, Procida and Vivara. In 2015, Ministerial Decree 74 of 17 April revoked the provisional management entrusted to the consortium of the seven municipalities (Barano d'Ischia, Casamicciola Terme, Forio, Ischia, Lacco Ameno, Serrara Fontana and Procida) for serious inaction. Management passed to the Naples Harbour Office as ministerial commissioner until a new managing body is appointed.

The reserve's name comes from Neptune, Roman god of the sea, and its emblem is the seahorse. Since 2015 the Naples Harbour Authority has run the area as ministerial commissioner after the consortium of the seven municipalities (Barano d'Ischia, Casamicciola Terme, Forio, Ischia, Lacco Ameno, Serrara Fontana and Procida) lost its temporary mandate. Residents of Ischia and Procida have long contested the reserve, notably the missing boundary buoys that should mark the zones.

Visitors explore this area best by boat or as a diver with proper authorization, following routes set up by local operators. Paying attention to zone markers and local guidance helps ensure the protected areas remain undisturbed.

Zone D, covering much of the Cuma Canyon off the north-western coast of Ischia, is the only zone where trawling and purse-seine fishing are allowed with authorisation, and where cetacean watching is expressly permitted. The reserve has been run by the Naples Harbour Office as ministerial commissioner since 2015, after the ministry revoked the mandate of the consortium of the seven municipalities for inaction.