Castel Nuovo has seen a pope abdicate, a poet visit, and at least one queen accused of feeding her lovers to a crocodile.
Charles of Anjou began building it in 1266 after defeating Manfredi, moving his kingdom's capital here from Palermo. In 1294 Celestine V abdicated the papacy within its walls, unmatched until Benedict XVI seven centuries later. Boccaccio and Petrarch called on it, and in 1332 Giotto arrived to paint the palatine chapel. Legend holds that Queen Joan II sent lovers through a trap door to a well below, where a crocodile waited.

Alfonso V rebuilt the castle in 1443 to rival Medici Florence, and his son Ferdinand I later used a wedding here to trap and execute rebellious barons.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours trace the castle's five centuries of guests and grudges, from papal resignation to royal betrayal, tracking how one fortress mirrored an entire kingdom's fortunes.