Cartaromana: Megayachts hit for violations in the Marine Protected Area, followed by fears at La Mandra.

The picture-perfect Cartaromana, with its crystal-clear sea and the Aragonese Castle guarding the bay, had a bitter aftertaste yesterday. Disrupting the silence and slow comings and goings of swimmers was the coming and going of Coast Guard vessels, engaged in tight patrols around a cluster of megayachts. Their presence, imposing and out of proportion with the rest of the recreational boating traffic, did not go unnoticed.

From rumors gathered on the beach and among small local shipowners, it became known that the vessels— all over fifty meters in length, with a 67-meter giant in the foreground —have come under scrutiny for violations of the regulations of the "Regno di Nettuno" Marine Protected Area. The regulations are clear: on the island of Ischia, only three anchorage points are authorized for such giants of the sea : Maronti Bay, Lacco Ameno, and Forio. Cartaromana, as alluring and renowned as it is, is not among them.

Flying foreign flags and operated by a charter company, the yachts were required to comply with regulations and stay away from the restricted area. The fine was inevitable, a sign of increasingly vigilant vigilance to protect a delicate habitat already strained by tourism.

But the day didn't end with fines for the "floating palaces." In the afternoon, at Mandra, an incident sent shivers through the beach umbrellas: a child was wandering around the beach area holding a spear gun . Amid screams and concern, calls were made to the fire brigade and the Coast Guard. The uniformed men arrived within minutes, confiscating the spear gun and citing the parent . No one was injured, but there was a great deal of apprehension and a lesson in responsibility imparted on the spot.

It was a day that reminded everyone—billionaires included—that the sea is not a private luxury but a common good. And that experiencing it means respecting its rules, to safeguard an environmental heritage that brooks no distractions.