Castle sights in Naples
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Castel Capuano
This Norman castle has been the seat of the city's civil courts since 1540, and the crowd of noisy families, slick lawyers and menacing police around the main entrance is a permanent feature. Built in 1165 by William I to guard the nearby city gate Porta Capuana, it was later enlarged by the King Frederick II and fortified by Charles I of Anjou. The castle is not open to the public.
Across the square, the imposing Porta Capuana was one of the city's main medieval gates. Built on the orders of Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1484, the two cylindrical towers, named Honour and Virtue, flank a white marble-clad triumphal arch. Giuliano da Maiano oversaw the addition of Emperor Char…
reviewed
-
B
Castel Sant'Elmo
Commanding spectacular views across the city, this star-shaped castle was built by the Spanish in 1538. Impressive though it is, the austere castle has seen little real military action. It has, however, seen plenty of prisoners: a long-time jail, its dungeons were used as a military prison until the 1970s. The admission times and price can change when the castle is being used for exhibitions.
reviewed
-
C
Castel dell’Ovo
Marking the eastern end of the 2.5km lungomare (seafront), Castel dell’Ovo sits atop the rocky Borgo Marinaro. Naples’ oldest castle, it was built by the Normans in the 12th century and became a key fortress in the defence of Campania. According to myth, the castle owes its improbable name (Castle of the Egg) to Virgil, who was said to have buried an egg on the site where the castle now stands, warning that when the egg breaks, the castle (and Naples) will fall.
reviewed
-
D
Palazzo Reale
Flanking Piazza del Plebiscito, the rusty red Palazzo Reale was built around 1600. It was completely renovated in 1841 and suffered extensive damage during WWII.
reviewed
