The Sorrento Gozzo: the Classic Boat of the Coast

From the helm

Look around any harbour on this coast and you'll soon spot one. A high, gently curving bow, a broad hull, a band of varnished wood along the side: that is the Sorrento gozzo, the boat that for generations took the fishermen of the Gulf of Naples out to sea. Today, with a modern hull and engine, it carries guests to Capri and along the Amalfi Coast. Here is the story of the gozzo boat, why its shape suits this sea and how to spend a day aboard one.

What is a gozzo boat?

A gozzo is a traditional Italian fishing boat. Versions of it are found along much of Italy's coastline, each shaped by its own stretch of sea, and the Sorrento gozzo (in Italian, gozzo sorrentino) is the one of the Sorrento peninsula and the Amalfi Coast. It was a working boat through and through: built entirely of wood, rowed with oars or driven by a lateen sail, and sturdy enough to carry nets, the catch and people. Today the name also covers its modern descendants, which still keep the family look.

A shape made for this sea

You can recognise a Sorrento gozzo from far off. The bow rises high and round, the gunwales curve gently up to meet it, and the hull is broad and full, almost plump seen from above. Nothing about its shape is there for show. A raised bow meets the waves and keeps spray off the deck; a wide, rounded hull sits steady in the water and leaves room to work. For the fishermen, that meant space for nets and catch, and a boat they could rely on when the sea got up.

Then there's the wood. The old gozzi were built entirely of it, and their descendants still wear it with pride: polished gunwales, a band of varnished timber along the side, teak underfoot.

Nothing about its shape is there for show.

The master shipwrights of Sorrento

For generations, gozzi were built by the maestri d'ascia, the master shipwrights of wooden boats, named after the ascia, the adze they used to shape the timber. It was a craft of eye and hand, often handed down within families: choosing the wood, raising the frames on the keel one by one, then planking the hull until the familiar shape appeared.

The craft hasn't vanished: in Marina Grande, Sorrento's old fishing village, a few workshops still build gozzi in wood. One family name runs through the whole story, Aprea, tied to the Sorrento gozzo for generations.

Classic lines, modern comfort

Engines changed the gozzo's life. In the twentieth century they took over from oars and sail (some of the first fitted to gozzi were car engines), and the old fishing boat began a second career as a pleasure boat. In the 1980s Cataldo Aprea, heir to a family of shipwrights, redrew the gozzo around a fast fibreglass hull; in time, fibreglass became the norm. Today the Apreamare brand builds, among others, the Gozzo 35, one of the gozzi we work with.

A modern gozzo swaps the oars for an inboard diesel engine and often adds a small cabin below deck, yet it keeps the raised bow, the broad hull and the gleam of varnished wood. That's what makes it such a lovely boat for a day at sea: steady and roomy, usually shaded by an awning, with space to sunbathe on the bow and a platform at the stern for easy swims.

Gozzo or motorboat: how to choose

Every tour is private: just your group on board, always with a local skipper, and fuel is included. Our own boat is the Ranieri International 24, a sleek, modern motorboat: quick, easy and lovely for a couple or a small group.

For larger groups, classic Sorrentine gozzi are available on request. The gozzi we work with include the Gozzo 26, the Gozzo 30 and the Apreamare Gozzo 35: tell us how many you are and we'll suggest the right one. To see the boats side by side, visit our page on boat rental with skipper.

How to include a gozzo in your day

For larger groups, our private full-day tours from Sorrento, to Capri and along the Amalfi Coast, can be done on a classic gozzo, on request. The Capri boat tour circles the island, Faraglioni and grottoes included, with free time ashore. The Amalfi Coast tour takes in Positano, Praiano, the fjord of Furore and Amalfi, and the Amalfi Coast & Capri day fits both into one. Before you go, read what to bring on a boat tour; for ideas on where a small boat can take you, see the places you can only reach by boat.

Frequently asked questions

What is a gozzo?

The gozzo is the traditional boat of the Sorrento coast and the Gulf of Naples: born as a wooden fishing boat, rowed or sailed, with a raised bow and a broad, rounded hull. Today's gozzi keep those classic lines with modern hulls and diesel engines.

Can I book a gozzo for a larger group?

Yes: classic Sorrentine gozzi are available on request for larger groups. Tell us how many you are and we'll suggest the right boat; every tour is private, always with a local skipper.

Is a gozzo comfortable for families or people who get seasick?

Gozzi are known for being steady, roomy boats, and they suit families well. No boat can promise a flat sea, but your skipper reads the conditions and picks calm, sheltered routes: if you're prone to seasickness, just tell us when you book.

Which tours can be done by gozzo?

For larger groups, our private full-day tours from Sorrento to Capri and along the Amalfi Coast can be done on a gozzo, on request. The sunset cruise runs on our own Ranieri 24 motorboat.