Its construction is due to the initiative of Carlo I d'Angiò, who in 1266, defeated the Swabians, ascended the throne of Naples and Sicily, and established the transfer of capital from Palermo to Naples.

The royal residence of Naples had been until then Castel Capuano, but the old Norman fortress was considered inadequate to function and the king wanted to build a new castle in the sea. Awarded the French architect Pierre de Chaule project, work on the construction of 'Castrum Novum' took off in 1279 to end three years later, a very short time considering the construction techniques of the time and the total amount of the work. The king, however, never lived there: following the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers, which cost all'Angioino the crown of Sicily, conquered by Pietro III d'Aragona and other events, the new palace remained unused until 1285, the year of death Carlo I.

In 1443 Alfonso d'Aragona, who had acquired the throne of Naples, a magnificent castle established in court, so as to compete with the Florentine court of Lorenzo the Magnificent and the fortress was completely rebuilt in its present form, while maintaining its function as a center of royal power.

King Alfonso entrusted the renovation of the palace-fortress Angevin an architect Aragon, Guillem Sagrera, Catalan native of Majorca, who conceived it in Gothic-Catalan. The five round towers, four of which incorporate the previous Angevin square, suitable to sustain the blows of the guns of the time, reiterated the defensive role of the castle. The importance of the palace as a center of royal power was underlined by the inclusion instead of the triumphal arch at the entrance, and Neapolitan Renaissance masterpiece by Francesco Laurana, along with many artists from various backgrounds. The work took place from 1453 and ended only after the king's death in 1479.

Where: Piazza Municipio | Napoli
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