- Type
- Castle
- Built
- c. 1160 · 12th century
- Commissioned by
- William I of Sicily
- Coordinates
- 40.8535°, 14.2644°
History
The Norman king of Sicily William I, known as the Bad, began building the castle around 1160 on the eastern edge of the city by the road to Capua, which gave it its name. In 1231 Frederick II of Hohenstaufen adapted it for royal stays while keeping its defences. When the Angevins moved the court to Castel Nuovo, Castel Capuano became secondary, although in 1432 the grand seneschal Sergianni Caracciolo, favourite of Queen Joanna II, was murdered here. In 1537 Viceroy Pedro de Toledo installed the courts of the Kingdom of Naples in the building, including the Grand Court of the Vicaria, with a prison in the basements. The courts remained here until the turn of the 21st century, and since 2023 the castle has housed Italy's Higher School of the Judiciary.
What to see
From the square by Porta Capuana you see the long facade and its portal, crowned by the Habsburg eagle and the motto Plus ultra. Inside are courtyards, the Sala dei Busti with busts of famous jurists and the chapel of the former Sommaria tribunal with Renaissance frescoes. Beside the castle stands the 15th-century Formiello fountain, and a few steps away the Aragonese Porta Capuana gate.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q858940
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