Castel Capuano
zona Garibaldi
Hidden gemCastles
The story
An old Norman castle that for four centuries served as the courthouse of Naples: here justice held session in frescoed halls, in the shadow of nearby Porta Capuana.
Access
exteriors FREE
The story
Castel Capuano is among the oldest castles of Naples: founded in the Norman age, around 1160, for William I, and made more welcoming by Frederick II in 1231, it was long a royal residence. In 1537 the viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo turned it into the seat of the courts of the Kingdom — the Vicaria — gathering there the courts of justice scattered across the city.
What to see
The mass of the castle, at the mouth of via dei Tribunali (which takes its name precisely from here), tells of centuries of history: from Norman fortress to royal palace, then for centuries a palace of justice. Beside it opens Porta Capuana.
Tips
Castel Capuano hosts institutional functions and its visitability is tied to events and specific openings: check on the official channels whether and when it is accessible before counting on it. To be combined with Porta Capuana, which rises beside it.
Frequently asked questions
What is Castel Capuano?
One of the oldest castles of Naples, of Norman origin, then a royal residence and from 1537 the seat of the courts of the Kingdom (the Vicaria).
Why is via dei Tribunali called that?
Precisely from Castel Capuano, which from the sixteenth century housed the courts of the Kingdom at the mouth of the street.
Can you visit Castel Capuano?
It hosts institutional functions and visitability is tied to events and specific openings: it is best to check on the official channels.
More gems in zona Garibaldi
◆ History & archaeologyPorta Capuana
zona Garibaldi
Between two cylindrical towers an arch of white marble opens like a Renaissance triumph, the old city gate facing the road to Capua.
- ◆ Villages
Mercato di Porta Nolana
zona Garibaldi
Beneath the Aragonese arch of Porta Nolana the fish market erupts with voices, crates of seawater and shellfish still alive: Naples at its most unvarnished.
More gems: Castles
◆ CastlesPalazzo Donn'Anna
Posillipo
The unfinished seventeenth-century palace juts sheer over the water, dark and labyrinthine: through its empty rooms legend has the shadow of Donn'Anna still wandering.
CastlesCasina Vanvitelliana
Lago Fusaro, Bacoli
An octagonal pavilion that seems to float on Lago Fusaro, a Bourbon hunting lodge reached by a little bridge, among reflections and morning mists.
◆ CastlesPalazzo d'Avalos (ex carcere)
Terra Murata
First the palace of the d'Avalos family, then a prison until the late twentieth century: the empty cells command Terra Murata, suspended between the memory of the inmates and the silence that lives there now.
CastlesCastello Aragonese
Ischia Ponte
A fortress on a rocky islet tied to Ischia by a stone causeway, layered with millennia of history, the gaze ranging over the bay between walls, courtyards and gardens.
◆ CastlesTorre di Guevara
Ischia
Raised at the end of the fifteenth century on the meadow of Cartaromana, the tower also known as di Michelangelo faces the Castello Aragonese and the Sant'Anna rocks, and now frames art exhibitions.
- ◆ Castles
Palazzo Sansevero
P.za San Domenico Maggiore
On the corner of piazza San Domenico the palace of the princes of Sangro still carries the echo of the night when Gesualdo surprised and killed Maria d'Avalos and her lover.