- Type
- Castle
- Built
- 1443 · 15th century
- Site origins
- 1282 per Wikidata – an earlier stronghold or first mention
- Style
- Gothic art
- Architect
- Pierre d'Angicourt
- Coordinates
- 40.8384°, 14.2538°
History
The castle was built in 1279–1282 for Charles I of Anjou, who made Naples the capital of his kingdom. It was called "new" to distinguish it from the older Castel dell'Ovo and Castel Capuano. In the 14th century Giotto worked here at the court of King Robert of Anjou, painting frescoes in the castle. After taking Naples in 1442, Alfonso V of Aragon rebuilt the fortress almost entirely from 1443; the massive towers and the Hall of the Barons date from his time. The hall's name recalls the barons' conspiracy against his son Ferdinand I, who lured some of the rebels here on the pretext of a wedding and had them arrested. Today the castle houses the city museum.
What to see
You enter through a marble triumphal arch squeezed between two towers, commemorating Alfonso's entry into the city. Inside are the Palatine Chapel with fragments of frescoes from Giotto's school, the Hall of the Barons with its star vault, and ancient ruins beneath a glass floor. The city museum displays painting and sculpture from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, and the walls look out over the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q781219
Popularity: articles about this site in 35 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).