Description
Castel dell'Ovo is the oldest castle in Naples, on a tuff islet stretching out into the gulf, between Santa Lucia and Chiaia. Facing Via Partenope, its profile on the sea is one of the elements that stand out in the panorama of the bay.
Inside are large halls where exhibitions, conferences and events are held. The octagonal towers and thick walls, rebuilt after the Spanish siege of 1503, look toward the land more than toward the sea.
The Borgo Marinari lies at its feet: a little tourist harbor bustling with restaurants and bars, the historic home of some of the most prestigious Neapolitan yacht clubs. It is the place to see the castle up close.
Then the arches of the loggia, which precede the entrance of the church founded by the Basilian monks: it is the only architectural element of note left of that place of worship.
The name comes from a legend: somewhere in the dungeons there is said to be an egg. Virgil hid it, who in the Middle Ages passed for a magician: as long as it stays intact, the castle stands. If it breaks, everything collapses and disasters rain down on Naples.
When in the fourteenth century, in the time of Joanna I, the arch on which the castle rests partly collapsed, the queen had to swear that she had replaced the egg, to calm the panic in the city.
The true story is even older. On the islet of Megaride the colonists from Cumae founded Parthenope in the 8th century BC. Then came Lucullus, with a sumptuous villa, a library and tanks for moray eels, and even peach trees imported from Persia.
In 476 the villa, by then fortified, hosted in exile Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor of the West. After him came the monks, the Normans, Frederick II and the Angevins, who kept the royal treasure here.
In 1222 Frederick II had more towers built and the castle became a residence and a state prison. Charles I of Anjou kept his most precious possessions here.
For centuries it was also a prison: Conradin of Swabia, locked up here before being beheaded in Piazza del Mercato, the philosopher Tommaso Campanella and liberals such as Luigi Settembrini ended up there. After Unification there was even talk of tearing it down, in 1871. It was saved.
Don't miss
• The Borgo Marinari.
• The exhibition halls.
• The arches of the loggia.
• The castle's profile on the sea.
Did you know?
• The Spaniards who arrived in 1503 understood «Castillo del Lobo», castle of the wolf, and for a couple of centuries in Spain they called it that.
• After the war some families of the navy went to live in the castle, and were evicted only in 1980.
Inside are large halls where exhibitions, conferences and events are held. The octagonal towers and thick walls, rebuilt after the Spanish siege of 1503, look toward the land more than toward the sea.
The Borgo Marinari lies at its feet: a little tourist harbor bustling with restaurants and bars, the historic home of some of the most prestigious Neapolitan yacht clubs. It is the place to see the castle up close.
Then the arches of the loggia, which precede the entrance of the church founded by the Basilian monks: it is the only architectural element of note left of that place of worship.
The name comes from a legend: somewhere in the dungeons there is said to be an egg. Virgil hid it, who in the Middle Ages passed for a magician: as long as it stays intact, the castle stands. If it breaks, everything collapses and disasters rain down on Naples.
When in the fourteenth century, in the time of Joanna I, the arch on which the castle rests partly collapsed, the queen had to swear that she had replaced the egg, to calm the panic in the city.
The true story is even older. On the islet of Megaride the colonists from Cumae founded Parthenope in the 8th century BC. Then came Lucullus, with a sumptuous villa, a library and tanks for moray eels, and even peach trees imported from Persia.
In 476 the villa, by then fortified, hosted in exile Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor of the West. After him came the monks, the Normans, Frederick II and the Angevins, who kept the royal treasure here.
In 1222 Frederick II had more towers built and the castle became a residence and a state prison. Charles I of Anjou kept his most precious possessions here.
For centuries it was also a prison: Conradin of Swabia, locked up here before being beheaded in Piazza del Mercato, the philosopher Tommaso Campanella and liberals such as Luigi Settembrini ended up there. After Unification there was even talk of tearing it down, in 1871. It was saved.
Don't miss
• The Borgo Marinari.
• The exhibition halls.
• The arches of the loggia.
• The castle's profile on the sea.
Did you know?
• The Spaniards who arrived in 1503 understood «Castillo del Lobo», castle of the wolf, and for a couple of centuries in Spain they called it that.
• After the war some families of the navy went to live in the castle, and were evicted only in 1980.