The history of Castel dell’Ovo (literally "Egg Castle") cannot be separated from the one of the islet of yellow tuff near the coastline called Megaride, where according to the myth, te siren Parthenope is buried.

Overlooking the central Via dei Tribunali, behind Porta Capuana, access to the road connecting with the ancient Capua,  Castel Capuano, apart from the evocative name of its original function, is commonly assimilated to one of the several palaces of the historic centre of Naples, courthouse of the city. This explains the reason why it has been the city’s courthouse for centuries.

From the top of the Vomero Hill, Castel Sant’Elmo dominates the whole city and represents an ideal observation point of its entire gulf. It was precisely the strategic position of the hill, anciently known as Paturcium, which from the 10th century housed the small church of Sant’Erasmo, that suggested to Robert of Anjou the idea of building a palatium castrum.

It is the most famous Castle in Naples, symbol of the city, and is the most recent of all. It is not explained by the name “Maschio Angioino” with which we know it nowadays, but with the obsolete name that, in an eloquent way, identified it compared to the others when it was built: Castel Nuovo (“New Castle”).