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HISTORY
Occupying Naples in 1266, Charles I
of Angiò, didn't find a suitable abode, so decided to build one as soon
as out of the fencing wall of the city. So works started of the Castel
Nuovo started (1279-1282). It was denominated Castel Nuovo (New Castle)
to distinguish others old castles Capuano and of the Ovo.Tipica
representation of the French Gothic style, was initially constituted by
an irregular plant quadrilateral, four towers and tall embattled walls .
In reality Charles I never lived there, it was his child Charles I to
establishethere and subsequently Roberto of Angio, that brought
substantial changes to the structure of the Castle. When to the
Angioinis succeeded the Aragonesis, also Alfonso I of Aragona followed
tradition to set his abode in the Maschio Angioino (other name of Castel
Nuovo) and to begin works of enlargement. Is of this time that goes up
the famous arc of triumph place among the tower of middle and the one
of watch.
Now the monument appears a
trapezoidal plant formed by a curtain of tufa in which five cylindrical
towers are inserted (four of "piperno" and one of tufa). From the time
of Alfonso I to today, it have been many works of amplification and
restauration that have interests the castle. Substantially the
structure that is introduced to our eyes today is a mixture of the
French and Catalan taste. |
THE ARC OF TRIUMPH (1453-1479)
Wanted by Alfonso I of Aragon to celebrate his victorious entrance in the
city (February 23 rd 1443), it's formed by 2 arcs rib of vault superimposed.
The relief of the central frieze impending the first arc represents the new
king sat on a wagon hauled by the Fortune. The second arc, should have
instead to contain an equestrian statue of the sovereign, that should heve
be order to Donatello, but in reality it was never realized. |
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BARONS' ROOM
Wanted by Roberto of Angiò and painted
in fresco by Giotto in 1330, the room was originally called Room Maior. The
frescos, unfortunately lost, represented illustrious characters of the past.
In 1919 the room is partially destroyed by a fire. On the lintels are still
visible the bas-reliefs represented the triumphal procession of Alfonso and
the entry of the king in the castle. In the angle south-east of the Room,
through a Gothic door there is the access to the spectacular winding stairs,
currently inagibile. The environment is also illuminated from a balcony
called "Triumphal" of which is original the base that has the form of an
inverted pyramid. Currently the room is turned to the reunions of the town
junta. |
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THE LEGENDS
At the time of Charles II Of
Angiò the castle was the abode of Pope Celestino V, whose pontificated was
the shortest of the history: only 5 months. In fact on December 13,
Celestino V decided to abandon dresses of head of the spirituality and,
always among walls of the castle, was proclaimed his successor: Bonifacio
VIII. The history narrates that it was the same Bonifacio VIII to convince
the pope to abdicate. It is narrated, in fact, that Bonifacio, well knowing
the sensitive character of Celestino, night time, introducing a long trumpet
through a window in the room of Celestino, and pretending to be a messenger
of God, he suggested to him to abandon the charge. |
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Very more atrocious are stories of the
mysterious disappearances of guests of Queens Giovanna I of Angiò and
Giovanna II. These people, were said, were been destined to an atrocious
death: they were tortured and I killed by sinister assassins or, for
the most part, puched down, through a trap door, in the jails, where they
were torn to pieces by a crocodile, arrived by the African coasts and nested,
by sea, in the underground of the castel. To capture the crocodile was used
as bait a thigh of horse and, once killed, it was embalmed and exposed to
the entry of the castle. As confirmation of this legend is the recovery in
the jails of four coffins without any description containing bones, probably
those of the barons arrested and killed (see next legend).
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We are in 1486, at the times of Ferrante
of Aragon. It's in that period that the Room Maior acquires the name
of Room of the Barons, as the sovereign, wanting to avenge himself of the
barons' share to a conspiracy, he invites them at the castle with the
pretext of the celebration of the wedding of his child and, once reunited in
the room, it makes them arrest and to throw in the jails. Of them won't be
known anything. |
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