CASTEL NUOVO TOUR – NAPLES

From the beginning it was called “Castrum Novum” to distinguish it from the older castles of Ovo and Capuano.

During the reign of “Robert of Anjou”, the castle became a cultural center where artists, doctors and men of letters stayed, including “Giotto, Petrarch and Boccaccio”. The Angevins were succeeded by the Aragonese with Alfonso I, who, following the choice of his predecessors, established his royal residence in “New Castle”, starting work on its reconstruction and having the grandiose Triumphal Arch built outside, between the “Torre di Mezzo and the Torre di Guardia”, to celebrate his victorious entry into the city of “Naples”.

“The Aragonese” saw the transition from the medieval castle-palace to the modern fortress, adapted to the new requirements of warfare, and the area around the castle lost the residential character it had under “the Angevins”. The structure of the Aragonese building is undoubtedly more massive than that of the “Angevins” and fairly closely reflects the current one, resulting from the restoration work carried out in the early years of this century.

“The Castel Nuovo” was intended as a residence and plays an important role due to its strategic location between the center and the port. The castle also was attended by personalities such as “Pope Celestine V” and “Pope Boniface VIII, Petrarch and Boccaccio”. During the “Aragonese” period, however, the Angevin was restored and modified with a commission by “Alfonso of Aragon”.

The structure acquired in this way a typically “Catalan Gothic” character. During the Bourbon period the royal residence became the new royal palace and, subsequently, in the late eighteenth century “The Angevin Castle” was sacked. During the nineteenth century, restoration was undertaken, and the building is currently owned by the municipality. The castle is trapezoidal with stately, with towers set on the corners.
The main façade has three towers named the Guard, Middle and St. George. In the space between the two towers there is an imposing marble arch the constitutes the entrance. The arch was designed in the mid-fifteenth century by Francesco Laurana and other leading artists to commemorate Alfonso of Aragon. The structure consists of two overlapping arches framed by columns and adorned with numerous sculptures and relief decorations.
At the peak there is a cornice. Inside the building there is a courtyard dated fifteenth century. Part of the castle also include Beverello Tower, the “Hall of the Barons” and “the Palatine Chapel”, frescoes by “Giotto” in the fourteenth century. Today inside there is the “Museo Civico” of the city.

Enjoy and visit The CASTEL NUOVO tour in the city of Naples!