Nerio II's rule was contemporaneous with a renewed Italian philhellenism and corresponding interest in antiquities and the Greek language.

Nerio not only spoke Greek naturally, but also owned the most famous monuments of the Hellenic world in his capital of Athens.

[2] After securing his position with Turkish help, he was removed by the intrigues of his brother Antonio II and driven from the Acropolis.

It is probably that Nerio was present when the Emperor John VIII made a proclamation of Catholicism in the Florentine Duomo on 6 July 1439.

On his death, he was succeeded by his young son Francesco under the regency of his widow Chiara Zorzi.