Do you know that there are five castles in Naples? Let’s find out together!

Ovo Castle

A characteristic feature of the city’s waterfront landscape, it has preserved its original appearance in part.

Its name (“ovo” means “egg“) comes from a legend: Virgil, the great Latin poet, buried a magical egg in the castle’s dungeons, capable of keeping the entire structure standing.

Beyond the charm of its history, it has a very important role in the history of the city: above all, it welcomed the last emperor of the Roman Empire – Romulus Augustolo.

Its imposing appearance has always been the subject of the attentions of the kings of the Neapolitan dynasties, until it becomes a symbol of our city in modern times.

The setting sun on the castle will give poetry to your walks on the wonderful seaside promenade of Naples!

Castelnuovo – Maschio Angioino

In the center of Naples, stands imposing and majestic the Castelnuovo, known as Maschio Angioino.

It is universally the symbol of our city, as well as enclosing many traces of Neapolitan history – both ancient and recent.

Charles I Angevin project was to makethe city monumental. He then promoted the creation of his royal residence, austere on the outside and very rich inside: it was exactly the mirror of the medieval court.

In 1442, when Alfonso of Aragon entered the city, everything was transformed into a Renaissance key: the most striking change was the installation of the Triumphal Arch, between the two towers of the entrance.

While during the Spanish Viceroyal period, Castelnuovo was relegated to mere military fortress, in modern times it has a very important cultural role: in addition to hosting the civic museum of the city, it is also the seat of the Neapolitan Society of Fatherland History and the Committee for the History of the Italian Resurgence.

St. Elmo Castle

Founded in medieval times, it hosted King Robert d’Angiò and his court: it was equipped with a palatine chapel named after St. Erasmus, then contracted the Hermo and finally Elmo – hence its name.

It was, however, during the Vicereign of Don Pedro of Toledo that Castel Sant’Elmo lived a new and spectacular appearance: from above, it is clearly visible its refined star plant, which makes it also the largest fortress in the whole city.

In the centuries to come, its use was merely military; only in 1982 it was included among the sites of historical and cultural interest of Naples: since then it is used as a museum of contemporary art and is a very important cultural center.

Its location has always been its strength: in the past, perfect for war sightings; today, it gives everyone the most beautiful view of the entire city.

 

Capuano Castle

Castel Capuano takes its name from the nearby Capuana Gate, which opened to the road leading to the ancient Capua.

Its appearance has always been austere and solemn, as well as showing up majestically in an area of Naples with narrow streets, small houses and shops.

Its  role as the Kings’ seat changed just after the construction of Castel Nuovo – Maschio Angioino: it was intended to host the Palace of Justice.

The Viceroy Don Pedro da Toledo brought together all the local courts scattered throughout the territory in a single building: he made all the elements typically military disappear, to allocate the halls to the administration of justice and the underground to the prisons.

Some rooms, such as the Chamber of Summary, still manage to tell the great prestige of the Neapolitan forensic class.

For all The Neapolitans it is the “Old Tribunal”, a reference point that has renamed the ancient Decumano Major: Via dei Tribunali.

Aselmeyer Castle

It is the “youngest” castle in all of Naples: it was designed in the early 1900s by the Anglo-Neapolitan architect Lamont Young, when the major decreed the accommodation of this new area of the city.

The building, later bought by banker Carlo Aselmeyer, is the best example of English neo-Gothic architecture in town: the fascinating Ogival arches and soaring whitings are a clear homage to the Middle Ages, while the exterior is completely covered with Vesuvian stone bugs.

Lamont Young signed many projects in Naples, both private and urban: he felt so attached to our city, that he decided to move to the islet of Gaiola, now a marine protected area of the Gulf of Naples.

L'articolo Castles of Naples proviene da Naples Grand Tour.

When and how was Pompeii discovered? Excavations began in 1748, during the reign of Charles of Bourbon, with the meaning of giving prestige on the royal house. Archaeological research was generally understood as a mere instrument of collecting for rich nobles. Unfortunately, this obviously led to a negative social result: the treasures were only for rich people. King Charles, as enlightened ruler, thought to systematize the excavations and discoveries unearthed: the Herculaneum Academy served precisely to exhibit and scientifically illustrate the discoveries, while he decided to proceed to compact areas of the city. In 1763 the first open air excavation began: the tour route was really uncomfortable, because between one excavation area and another there were huge mounds of soil. The visitor licence was issued by the king: visitors were prevented from sketching, to keep the discoveries unreleased. But by 1799 the history of Naples and the entire kingdom took on a new face…

1799: Napoleon

The history of Pompeii goes through the many dominations that took place over our city. In January 1799 the French troops, led by General Championnet, put Ferdinand IV on the run and proclaimed the so-called “Neapolitan Republic“. Championnet proved to be a cultured and aware man, managing to quickly continue the excavations of Pompeii: today one of the houses to visit bears his name! The great surge, for the speed of the excavation campaign, took place from 1806: Gioacchino Murat, King of Naples during the French decade, and his wife Carolina Bonaparte gave the greatest contribution ever to the excavation works on Pompeii. Unfortunately, once again the political events from the Restoration of 1815 led to a new slowness in the excavation campaign: only with the United Italy in 1861 the activities resumed with new guidelines. The radical change was also due to the happy choice to entrust the direction of the excavations to Giuseppe Fiorelli, who took up the task with a systematic rigor and a clarity of totally new intentions.

20th century

The beginning of the 20th century saw a rapid shift in the direction of the excavations of Pompeii. In 1911, Vittorio Spinazzola was in this role. His method proved to be innovative: according to him, previous archaeological investigations had often damaged some buildings, depriving them of the upper floor when existing. He proposed to work from the top down: in this way, he first managed to leave intact the nature of some buildings, but above all to highlight the lively commercial nature of ancient Pompeii, reaching to free up Via dell’Abbondanza. His successor, Amedeo Maiuri, got this legacy. He was Director from 1924 to his death, in 1963, the richest period ever: from previous insights, Maiuri worked his whole life to highlight the great humanity of Pompeii, as an active urban nucleus and at times very close to ours modern cities. He completed the great post-war restoration works and freed the walls from the land accumulated over the centuries, finally defining the true circuit of the city.

Today

The story of the excavation works carried out in the ancient city of Pompeii means to give first of all the right importance to scientific research. Respect for the fragility of the past guaranteed by the right method has left us with a great legacy: the deep knowledge of history, in which we are lucky enough to walk. Pompeii still continues to give us wonderful surprises: the “Great Pompeii Project” was born in 2011, and aimed to strengthen the effectiveness of actions and conservation works in the archaeological area of Pompeii through the development of a extraordinary and urgent programme of conservation, prevention, maintenance and restoration works. Our immense heritage represents our past, present and future: its care and respect are the engines that push us to always update ourselves, to study to solve our doubts and to keep doing our job in the most intense and professional way we know!

L'articolo The History of Vesuvian Archaeological Excavations proviene da Naples Grand Tour.