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Castel Nuovo

Castel Nuovo

Pierre de Chaulnes, Guillem Sagrera & Pietro di Martina

Photo: Little john at Italian Wikipedia · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Location
Naples, Italy
Client / Owner
Alfonso V of Aragon
Year
Completed 1479
Access
Tickets required

Charles I of Anjou started the original Castrum Novum in 1279, designed by the French architect Pierre de Chaulnes and finished about three years later. Alfonso V of Aragon commissioned its rebuilding. The Catalan architect Guillem Sagrera rebuilt most of it in Catalan Gothic style from 1453 to 1479, after the king's death.

The plan is an irregular trapezoid surrounded by a moat, with five large cylindrical towers. The Hall of the Barons measures 85 by 92 feet (26 by 28 m) and has an octagonal vault. A white marble triumphal arch, 115 feet (35 m) tall, commemorates Alfonso's entry into Naples in 1443 and is a masterpiece of Neapolitan Renaissance architecture. The article credits its design to Pietro di Martina, Giuliano da Maiano or Francesco Laurana.

The towers are covered in piperno and tuff, though the infobox says sandstone. It is a civic museum with a Palatine Chapel, open to the public.

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