Summary Castel Nuovo, also known as Maschio Angioino, is a medieval fortress in Naples,  which was built in 1279 under Charles I of Anjou. Over the centuries, it served as a royal residence for Naples' rulers, including the Angevins, Aragonese, and Spanish monarchs.  The castle includes Five Towers: Including the Tower of the Beverello.  The Triumphal Arch, giving access to the castle, is a Renaissance masterpiece celebrating the conquest of Naples by Alfonso I of Aragon. Within the castle is the Palatine Chapel which contains 14th-century frescoes, some attributed to Giotto. Its grand hall is known as the Hall of the Barons due to it being where a number of Barons, who conspired against King Ferrante I, were apprehended and executed after being invited to what they thought was a wedding celebration. Since 1992 the castle has housed Naples' civic museum which showcases paintings, sculptures, and historical artifacts.

Castel Nuovo, or New Castle is located in the port area of Naples and is better known locally as Maschio Angioino (Angevin stronghold). Built between 1279 and 1282 by Charles I (1227-1285) of Anjou as a royal residence to replace the old castle. 
 
Prior to Charles accession to the throne in 1266 the capital of the Kingdom of Naples was in Palermo, although Naples had a royal residence at the Castle Capuano this was replaced by Charles with the Castle Nuovo.  Due to the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282-1302) the castle was not inhabited until after Charles death with the accession of Charles II (1285 -1309). 
 
In 1347, during his first campaign against the Kingdom of Naples, Louis I of Hungary (1326-1382), sacked and severely damaged the castle. Extensive restoration was carried out by Queen Joanna I (1328-1382) of Naples, following her return. This work enabled the castle to resist the siege during Louis’ second campaign. The castle was besieged a number of times in the years that followed but due to its’ deep moat and study walls managed to resist. 
 
Most of the existing buildings were constructed in the 15th century by Alfonso V (1396-1458) King of Aragon. In 1442, it was updated and fortified to resist attack from artillery.  After the sack of Naples by Charles VIII of France in 1494, the Kingdom was annexed by Spain, and the castle was downgraded to military fortress.  The last restoration of Castel Nuovo occurred in 1823.  
 
Over the centuries, it has witnessed numerous battles and sieges, reflecting Naples' turbulent past.


In the 18th century buildings started to be constructed around the castle where they remained until the beginning of the 20th century, when work began in removing them and the reclamation of the piazza to its front. 

The castle consists of typical medieval architecture with imposing towers and turrets; it provides an imposing site from the port area, with its five round towers and imposing stone walls.
 

One of the most imposing towers is the Tower of the Beverello, which like the other towers, features massive stone walls and a cylindrical shape, characteristic of medieval military architecture, it helped protect against naval attacks, offering a strategic vantage point over the city's waterfront.
 

Entry is from the piazza via a stone bridge which replaced a medieval wooden drawbridge across the moat. 

 

This leads to the single-sided white marble triumphal arch integrated into the Gatehouse.  

 

Standing 35 meters tall, the gatehouse has been elongated into two stacked arches flanked by two Corinthian columns. Above the lower arch is a second one surmounted by Lions and four niches with statues depicting the virtues of Alfonso. Above this is a rounded lintel with a statue of Alfonso in military dress. It also contains statues of St Michael, St Anthony the Abbot, and St Sebastian.

Built between the Torre di Mezzo (Halfway Tower) and the Torre di Guardia (Watch Tower) 2 of the 5 castle towers it was constructed between 1453 and 1479 to commemorate Alfonso I of Aragon’s victorious entry into Naples in 1443, a scene that is depicted in the relief above the entrance as part of the portal. 

 

Passing under the arch through the Bronze Gates, is the internal courtyard. It features Gothic and Renaissance influences, reflecting the modifications made by various rulers over the centuries, the courtyard has been used for ceremonies, military gatherings, and public events and leads to many of the castle’s chambers and halls.

 

In the far left-hand corner of the enclosure, an area of glass flooring covers the foundations and cemetery areas of a convent that pre-dates the castle itself. It also contains the remains of a pool or bath from a suburban villa. 
 
The staircase in this corner of the courtyard leads to the Sala dei Baroni, (Barons’ Hall) named after the barons arrested here during a conspiracy against the king in 1486.  The hall was once the main Hall of the Angevin Castle, and the Barons were invited here by King Ferrante I (1458-1494) for a feast to celebrate his granddaughter’s marriage. Once there, his soldiers closed all the hall's doors, and the barons were arrested and then later executed. 

The room is covered by a vaulted star-shaped ceiling 92 feet high with an oeil-de-boeuf at its centre, from this radiates sixteen vaulting ribs. Below the ribs is a gallery with eight square windows. Now containing bare walls, the room was once decorated with frescoes depicting many of the famous people from antiquity such as Samson, Hercules, Achilles, Alexandra the Great and Julius Caesar. These were produced in 1330 but were lost when the hall was damaged by fire in 1919.  The Barons' Hall was the seat of the Council of the commune of Naples until 2006. From this hall a door leads to the apartments of the Aragonese kings. 

 
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It also contains several tombstones, as in fact do other sections of the castle. These tombstones belong to nobles, clergy, and historical figures from Naples' past.

 
 
Close by is the Purgatory Chapel, which was built in 1580-81, during renovations ordered by the Spanish viceroys. Its interior is decorated in the baroque style with frescos depicting the stories of the saints and has paintings on panels set in guided stucco frames. The main altar showcases a painting of the Madonna del Carmine, alongside Saints Sebastiano and Gregorio Magno.  Historically, condemned prisoners received their last sacraments here before execution.

 

Since 1992 the castle has housed Naples' civic museum. The museum has a number of rooms which are used as display rooms, both on the first and second floors, these include the Charles V Hall, Loggia Hall - which are also used to host cultural events - and the Stoia Patrica Library. The first floor contains paintings from the 15th through to the 18th century; the second 19th and 20th-century works by Neapolitan artists, frescoes, sculptures, silver and bronze. 

 

Also to be seen is a painting of Pope Celestine V by Italian painter Niccolo' Di Tommaso (Florence, Italy 1346-1376) who abdicated the papacy in 1294. 

 

There's also a fine bronze door, commissioned in 1475 by the Aragonese to commemorate their victory over the Angevins and has an embedded cannonball which probably dates from a sea battle off Genoa in 1495, when the door was being shipped to France. 
 
Much of Naples’s history is connected to the castle so it provides a good place to connect with the city’s past.