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Palinuro - Palinouros - o Lobster ?

The name or term Palinuro has three main meanings.

The first meaning is scientific and absent of myth or legend:
Palinurus Vulgaris is the scientific name for the Lobster.

The second meaning is linguistic terminilogy:
Palinouros.
Palinouros is composed from the word 'palin' from Greek which means 'new' but also 'contrary', or 'turn around' and the word 'ouros' which if we read Homer - means wind or storm.

Both words together give us Palinouros which translated into the jargon of today would mean contrary wind or a wind which turns around upon itself and hits from behind.
A logical conclusion if we consider that Capo Palinuro is often subject to strong winds - a cause of violent storms.

Possibly a name already give to this area by the ancient Greek sailors.
The exact translation from greek would be to the italian term Spartivento (split wind or wind shield).
Being a Cape which sticks out into the sea and often struck by strong winds, this conclusion seems more than plausible.

The third meaning is based on myth and legend:
Palinuro - Aeneas's helmsman.
From Virgil's Eneide - Palinuro was Aeneas's helmsman (Founder of Rome - who was escaping after the siege of Troy).
Palinuro fell in love with Kamaratan, beautiful but cold hearted nymph who did not return the sentiment.

Desperate Palinuro is said to have thrown himself overboard following Kamaratan's image in the water.
She was then transformed by Venus into the rock upon which Camerota stands today.

A variation is that Palinuro was lulled to sleep by the sirens and fell into the sea during a violent storm. For three nights and days Palinuro survived by holding onto the ship's helm (it's not quite clear if he pulled the helm off with himself as he fell into the sea ... however...) and when he did finally manage to reach the shore he was killed by the local inhabitants.