Castel dell'Ovo.

Castel dell'Ovo (Italian: "Egg Castle") is a castle in the Italian city of Naples. The edifice is located on a small island, the Megarides where colonists from Cumae founded the originary nucleus of the city in the 6th century BCE. In the 1st century CE the Roman patrician Lucius Licinius Lucullus built a magnificent villa on the site. Fortified by Valentinian III in the early 5th century, it was the place where the last western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus, was exiled in 476 by Odoacer. The name stems from a medieval legend, according to which the poet Vergil had a magical egg put in the foundation to support them. Country Italy Region Campania Province Naples (NA) Mayor Rosa Russo Jervolino Elevation 17 m Area 117 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 1,000,470  - Density 8,457/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Napoletani Dialing code 081 Postal code 80100 Patron Saint Januarius  - Day September... Cumae (Cuma, in Italian) is an ancient Greek settlement lying to the northwest of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 6th century BC started on January 1, 600 BC and ended on December 31, 501 BC. // Overview Monument 1, an Olmec colossal head at La Venta The 5th and 6th centuries BC were a time of empires, but more importantly, a... Two notables of ancient Rome share the name Lucius Licinius Lucullus. The first was a novus homo who became consul in 151 BC. He was imprisoned by the tribunes for attempting to enforce a troop levy too harshly. ... Solidus minted in Thessalonica to celebrate the marriage of Valentinian III to Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius II. On the reverse, the three of them in wedding dresses. ... Europe in 450 The 5th century is the period from 401 - 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Tremissis of Romulus Augustus. ... Odoacer solidus struck in name of Zeno. ... For other uses see Virgil (disambiguation). ...

Later a convent and some fortifications were added to the decaying villa, but they were demolished in the 9th century by Neapolitans to keep it from being used by Saracen ravagers. The first castle was built by the Normans in the 12th century. The importance of Castel dell'Ovo started to decline when king Charles I of Anjou had a new castle, Castel Nuovo, built and the court moved there. Castel dell'Ovo became the seat of the Royal Chamber and of the State Treasury. The current appearance dates from the Aragonese domination (15th century). It was struck by French and Spanish artillery during the Italian Wars; in the Neapolitan Republic of 1799 its guns were used by rebels to deter the philo-Bourbon population. (This accounts for the unusual sight of cannon on the parapets of a seaside fortification being pointed inward toward the city.) The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi, which is itself derived from the Arabic word شرقيين sharqiyyin (easterners). The word was used in the early centuries of the Roman Empire to describe a nomadic Arab tribe from the Sinai Desert. ... Charles I (March 1227 - January 7, 1285) was the posthumous son of King Louis VIII of France, created Count of Anjou by his elder brother King Louis IX in 1246, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. ... Castel Nuovo. ... For the war between the Roman Republic and other Italian cities see Social War. ... The flag of the Parthenopaen Republic was the French tricolor, with the a yellow stripe in the place of the white one The Parthenopaean Republic (Italian: Repubblica Napolitana) formed a brief interlude in the history of the Kingdom of Naples, the result of activities of France in the aftermath of... The House of Bourbon is an important European royal house. ...

In the 1800s a small fishing village (Borgo Marinari) sprang up around the southern walls of the castle. This village still stands, however, it is now more known for its marina and several fine restaurants.

The castle is connected by a small causeway that is a popular place for newlyweds to have their wedding photos taken. The causeway is over 100 metres long. The castle is rectangular in shape (approximately 200 by 45 metres at its widest) and has a high angular bastion that overlooks the causeway. Inside the walls are several buildings that are often used for exhibitions and other special events. At the rear of the castle a long promontory juts out and was probably used as a docking area. To the south-east, just outside the castle walls is a large round tower. The point of a bastion on a reconstructed French fort in Illinois. ...

Because of its location, the castle gives an excellent view of the Naples waterfront and the area surrounding the Gulf of Naples.

Naples landmarks

Albergo dei Poveri | Cappella Sansevero | Castel dell'Ovo | Castel Nuovo | Gesù Nuovo  | Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte  | Royal Palace | Posillipo | San Domenico Maggiore  | Cathedral  | National Archaeological Museum (Naples) | Santa Chiara | Piazza del Plebiscito | San Martino | Galleria Umberto | Sant'Elmo | Teatro San Carlo | Country Italy Region Campania Province Naples (NA) Mayor Rosa Russo Jervolino Elevation 17 m Area 117 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 1,000,470  - Density 8,457/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Napoletani Dialing code 081 Postal code 80100 Patron Saint Januarius  - Day September... Originally, a landmark literally meant a geographic feature used by explorers and others to find their way back or through an area. ... Image File history File links Napoli-Stemma. ... Castel Nuovo. ... The Museum of Capodimonte (Museo di Capodimonte), housed in a grand Bourbon palazzo in Naples, Italy, is the prime repository of Neapolitan and Italian cultural heritage in the city. ... Mount Vesuvius as seen from Posillipo Posillipo is a residential quarter of Naples, called Pusilleco in the Neapolitan language. ... Piazza del Plebiscito is one of the principal public squares in the historic center of Naples, Italy. ...