Mario Pedol is a soft-spoken man not normally given to exclamations of flash and wow. But the recent news that Nauta Yachts was the designer of the 590-foot (180-meter) yacht Azzam, currently under construction at Lürssen, generated quite a buzz. Azzam, a long-time secret project, is believed to be 57 feet 4 inches (17.5 meters) longer than Eclipse, currently the world’s largest yacht. This revelation helped shed some light on this unassuming man.

Pedol has had a varied career involving yachts and yachting. He started his company, Milan-based Nauta Yachts, in 1985. Well-known Italian entrepreneur Pier Luigi Loro Piana purchased the first boat Nauta designed and built, the Nauta 54. Pedol and partner Massimo Gino, who head the firm, have enhanced Nauta’s repertoire over the years, from series sailboats to custom-built sailing yachts and motoryachts (one of its recent partnerships is with Cantiere delle Marche, builder of the Darwin series). Nauta Yachts also involves itself with brokerage, construction and project management and explores new trends through concepts.

Exemplifying the firm’s enormous range is the newest iteration of Nauta’s Project Light, an elegant 296-foot (90-meter) yacht designed to blend into the environment. On yachts of this size contact with the sea is often lost, but aboard the 90-meter Light, the sea is ever present. With 13,024 square feet (1,210 square meters) of open deck and 10,333 square feet (960 square meters) of living space wrapped in 2,691 square feet (250 square meters) of glass, she is all about light and reflection. In the last decade there has been a growing trend in yacht design to bring the outside in, but Nauta Light is truly an outside-in yacht. The main deck is one seamless example, with reception and lounging area segueing into a main salon though a transparent glass shell. Also located on the prime main-deck real estate are all the guest staterooms, which all have a permanent private balcony. A spiral staircase wraps around a glass-enclosed elevator that links all six decks. The upper deck is dedicated to the owner, with a private salon aft and owner’s suite forward, with gym, studio and private terrace, plus a large swimming pool. Both inside and out, the beach club is much more than a swim platform and is an integral part of life onboard. Its substantial surface incorporates a lounge or music bar for nighttime entertainment.

For more information, visit nautayachts.com.