Castel Nuovo is also called Maschio Angioino (that means turreted castle of the Angiò) in honour of its founder Charles the Ist of Angiò, that ordered it between 1279 and 1282 to make it his residence.

During the wars of the XV century the building was strongly damaged and it was completely rebuilt under the reign of Alphonso of Aragon. In the XVI century the external circular ramparts was replaced by some spanish ramparts; but in XVIII century there were the biggest modifications. A huge restoration and reconstruction work started at the beginning of the XX century and gave to the Maschio Angioino the present aspect.

The castle is trapezoidal-shaped, it has five embattled towers with cylindrical base rising from the ditch that surround the whole building. Between the two towers at the entrance on the occidental-side there is the famous Triumph Arch, built in honour of Alphonso the Ist that entered in Naples in 1443, February 26.

The castle'walls were witnesses for several facts during the centuries. The Maschio Angioino, in fact, was chosen by several literary men, poets, famous humanist (such as Boccaccio, Petrarch, Giotto) but it was also the scenery of some important and cruel events in the history of Naples, such as in 1924 when Celestine the Vth renounced to the pontificate, the murder of many barons of the reign ordered by Ferdinand the Ist in 1486 and the seizure of the fortress from the people in 1346 after the announce of the murder of Andrew of Hungary.