The vaults of Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino) gave rise to one of the Neapolitan legends that have accompanied the history of the castle over the centuries, "the cell of the crocodile".

New Castle has two vaults used as prisons: one was called the "prison of the conspiracy of the Barons", the other  "pit of the milet"; the latter was the most feared because it was going to die no possibility of escape. It was not a cell but a real deep hole in which he was thrown through a trapdoor secret. The prisoners locked up there suddenly disappeared and was therefore prepared a check, it was then that they discovered the presence of a crocodile, entering through an opening in the wall, savaged and dragged overboard victims.

Recalling that this is still a legend, the characters who ended up thrown into the dreadful pit of the crocodile, were, of course, those condemned to death were to be summarily executed saving also to be buried.
But they were also intended, and here we meet another legend connected to the castle, men and young, nobles and commoners, who before the queen Jeanne d'Anjou and Queen Joanna of Durazzo then chose as lovers.