Castel dell'Ovo (Megaride)

Castel dell'Ovo stands on the islet of Megaride in the Santa Lucia district of Naples, reached by a causeway from Borgo Marinari on Via Eldorado. It is the oldest standing fortification in the city and the place where, according to tradition, Greek settlers established Parthenope before the foundation of Neapolis. In the 1st century BC the islet was occupied by a villa associated with the Roman general Lucullus, and later tradition places the exile of the last western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, here after 476 AD. A monastic community lived on the rock in the early Middle Ages before the Normans fortified it in the 12th century. The Swabian ruler Frederick II and then the Angevin kings enlarged the walls and towers, and the castle served as a royal treasury, a residence and a state prison. The name comes from a legend that the poet Virgil hid a magic egg in the foundations, and that the castle and the city would fall if it broke. The architecture is a layered mass of tuff and stone walls, bastions and terraces, with interior halls, a chapel area and rooms used for temporary exhibitions. Parts of the complex have been closed or partly restored over the years because the sea, wind and erosion constantly attack the rock, and the structure has undergone repeated consolidation work. The ramparts and terraces are the main attraction, giving open views of the Gulf of Naples, Mount Vesuvius, the Posillipo hill and the waterfront of Via Partenope. Entry is free, though some temporary exhibitions and events may carry separate rules. The castle is a straightforward walk from Chiaia and Santa Lucia, and the marina below is lined with seafood restaurants, which makes the site a natural stop on a waterfront walk.