Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino)

Castel Nuovo, known as the Maschio Angioino, dominates the waterfront beside Piazza Municipio on Via Vittorio Emanuele III in Naples. Charles I of Anjou began the fortress in 1279 after moving the capital of his kingdom from Palermo to Naples, and it became the royal residence of the Angevin court. In 1294 the hermit pope Celestine V is recorded as abdicating in the castle. After Alfonso V of Aragon took the city in 1442, the castle was rebuilt as a Renaissance palace, and the marble triumphal arch at the entrance, carved between 1443 and 1471 with the work of sculptors including Pietro da Milano and Francesco Laurana, commemorates his entry into Naples. The architecture combines five massive cylindrical towers in grey tuff and piperno with the white marble arch, an inner courtyard and the vast Sala dei Baroni, whose ribbed vault is a landmark of Catalan-Aragonese design. The Palatine Chapel preserves a Renaissance portal and fragments of sculpture, while Giotto's frescoes once recorded here are mostly lost. The upper floors house the Museo Civico, with works from the 15th to the early 20th century, and the castle also holds archaeological remains revealed by restoration. Modern work in the 19th and 20th centuries removed later additions to return the fortress to its medieval and Aragonese appearance, and the building continues to be consolidated. The visit is largely self-guided, moving from the courtyard and chapel to the great hall and gallery rooms. Admission is around EUR 10 for adults and EUR 6 for reduced tickets, and the castle is closed on Sunday, so the opening days should be confirmed beforehand. The location beside the port, Teatro San Carlo and Piazza Plebiscito makes it easy to combine with other sights of historic Naples.