Audio guide Naples – Castel Dell’Ovo

It stands on the islet of Megaride, consisting of two rocks joined together. It was here that the Cumans (of Greek origin) landed in the middle of the seventh century BC. and then founded the city of Parthenope, the first name of the settlement, on the rear of Monte Echia.

In fact, legend has it that the body of the mermaid Partenope ended up lifeless on this landing.

the myth tells that this mermaid would have abandoned herself to death because of the cunning of Ulysses who managed to escape the power of her song.

In Roman times, the famous villa of Lucius Licinius Lucullus was built on the islet and Mount Echia, first century BC.

The area then, between the fifth and sixth centuries AD, became the seat of the monastery of the Basilian monks, from this period remains the ancient church of the Savior inside the structure, it is the oldest space of the castle, still identifiable.

In the nineteenth century seventy-two on the islet the Saracens imprisoned the bishop of Naples but the joint effort of the fleets of the duchy of Naples and the republic of Amalfi, allowed the release of the bishop and the expulsion of the Muslims. The convent complex, however, was razed to the ground.

The construction of the castle began only in medieval times when Roger the Norman, in the year one thousand and one hundred and forty, conquered Naples and chose the rock of Megaride for the construction of a defensive complex, laying the foundations of the structure with the Normandy tower.

Subsequently, in the thirteenth century, Frederick II had the structure enlarged by building the other towers in order to further fortify the city.

In this period the castle combined the military function with that of residence and state prison.

The current appearance of the Castel dell’Ovo is the one determined by the renovation carried out in the Spanish viceregal era, after the damage suffered in the siege of one thousand and five hundred and three,

as a result of the attack by Ferdinand II of Aragon.

At the end of the eighteenth century, outside the city walls, a fishing village was built, the current Borgo Marinari.

A curiosity about the name of the castle: According to a popular tale The name of the castle is closely linked to the Latin poet Virgil, known in the Middle Ages not only for his literary works but also because he was considered a magician.

According to the translation, Virgil would have hidden, inside a cage in the basement of the walls, a magic egg.

It was believed that as long as the egg remained intact, Castèl dell’Ovo would never fall and would guarantee protection to the city.

precisely in relation to this famous and ancient Neapolitan legend the castle is now known as: Castèl dell’Ovo