This wonderful
Renaissance style area dates back to the 17th century. It was the residence of
the Spanish Viceroys. The royal gardens are full of tree-lined avenues, shaded
by magnolias and Holm oak trees, with rare plants, statues and “secret
gardens”. The Palace has a museum where all the furniture, sculptures,
porcelain and paintings belonging to the Bourbon dynasty are kept. The Palace’s
Sacred Art Collection can be seen in the palace chapel.
Reggia di Capodimonte
This palace, built next to a hunting
forest, contains a museum. The core of the museum’s collection came from
Alessandro Farnese or as he later became known Pope Paul III. It was added to
throughout the ensuing centuries. The extensive holding boasts works by Bellini,
Botticelli, Caravaggio, Correggio, Masaccio and Titian. One of its most famous
paintings is Masaccio's Crocifissione. Other highlights are Bellini's Trasfigurazione
(Transfiguration), and nine canvases by Titian.
Castel Maschio Angiolino
This castle was
built towards the end of the 13th century on the instructions of the Anjou family, and became an
important cultural center where artists and writers such as Giotto, Petrarca
and Boccaccio stayed. The Aragon dynasty expanded the
building with two towers and a fantastic Arc de Triomphe. The Cappella Palatina
chapel is also worth visiting.
Castel dell'Ovo
Castel dell’Ovo or the Egg Castle rises upon
the islet of Megaride, in front of the small promontory of Monte Echia. The
name Castel dell'Ovo is derived from a medieval legend about the Latin poet
Vergilius, at those times believed a wizard. According to this legend
Vergilius, during his stay in Naples, hid a magic egg inside an amphora, which
was put into an iron cage, that was hanged on the truss of a crypt under the
castle: if that egg will ever have fallen and broken, this will have meant the
ruin of the castle and of the entire city of Naples. It was first built and
occupied by the, but later the Angevins, the Aragonese, the French, and
the Spanish. The inner and higher
parts of the castle are reachable through the Norman Ramp, which is still today
the main way of access. It is possible to visit only some areas of the castle,
and particularly the panoramic terrace with the Catalan Loggia.