Castel Capuano

Castel Capuano, of Norman origin, is the headquarters of the Civil Chamber of the Court of Naples. Takes its name from Porta Capuana, which opens near the ancient road leading to Capua. Its construction was started in the twelfth century by King William I of Sicily, as a fortified residence of the rulers. Even after the residence was moved to the New Castle (Maschio Angioino), this Castle continued to host some members of the royal family, officials and distinguished guests, as Francesco Petrarca. Under the Aragonese, Castel Capuano played a role substantially limited, and in 1535 was given to Philip de Lannoy, Prince of Sulmona, who modified and embellished it. During the Viceroyalty, the Castle was intended as Courthouse: architects Ferdinand Manlio and Giovanni Benincasa had eliminated any military facilities and allocating the underground prisons with torture chambers. The entire complex was heavily remodeled in the nineteenth century, losing all traces of the ancient aspect: the balconies were transformed into windows, was built a sidewalk along three sides and the interior decorations were entrusted to the painter and decorator Perricci Molinaro. On the facade dominates the coat of arms of the House of Savoy and the clock of 1858. The inner courtyard is surrounded by a portico supported by Doric pillars that serves as access to the interior. On the back, there is the Fountain of Formiello, built in '400 as a watering place for horses and fed by the eponymous aqueduct. Among the rooms inside, the most important are the "Hall of the Court of Appeals", with frescoes by Antonio Cacciapuoto; the "Busts Hall", with marble busts of the most famous lawyers of the Naples; the "Sommaria Chapel", home to a library of about 80.000 volumes (including the rare works of the "Old Fund", from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century).