CASTEL DELL'OVO

This is one of the most famous views of Naples: a powerful castle clinging to its island, with Vesuvius in the background. Now connected to the mainland, the island was occupied by Greek settlers, then by the villa of the rich Roman Lucullus in the 1st century BC, and finally by a community of monks at the end of the^5th century. The site was then transformed by the Normans into a fortress from the 12th century, and remained the seat of power until the Anjou people decided to transfer their royal residence to Castel Nuovo. Its military use continued until the 1970s, when the building was finally returned to the municipality.

Why this strange name of Château de l'Œuf? Legend has it that Virgil, the famous Latin poet, deposited a golden egg there, which was not to be moved under any circumstances, at the risk of putting the town in the worst danger. He witnessed many intrigues - Conradin the Swabian, the last descendant of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was imprisoned there in the 13th century on the orders of Charles I of Anjou, the new master of Naples. See also the remains of monastic life (ruins of the 7th century church of San Salvatore).

Go there preferably at the end of the day, when the sky is iridescent with orange hues and the vaulted passages and paved stairways, wedged between the stone walls and massive towers, are lit by street lamps. The panorama over the waves and the coast, which is adorned with a string of luminous points as night falls, is an enchantment.