Castel dell'Ovo

In front of you is the islet of Megaride, the place where Naples began. Greeks from Cumae landed here around the 7th century BC and founded the first settlement, Parthenope. Myth tells that the body of the siren Parthenope, who let herself die after failing to seduce Ulysses, washed up on these rocks.

1From Roman luxury to the last emperor

In the 1st century BC, the general Lucius Licinius Lucullus, famous for his banquets, had part of his villa here. Centuries later, in 476, the last Western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was sent here into exile after being deposed. Then came the monks, and in the 12th century the Normans built the first castle. Its present form is largely Aragonese, from the 15th century.

2Virgil's egg

According to a medieval legend, the poet Virgil, whom the Middle Ages regarded as a magician, hid an egg in a cage in the castle's foundations. If the egg broke, the castle would fall and disaster would strike Naples.

It is said that when part of the castle collapsed in the 14th century, Queen Joanna I had to give assurances that she had replaced the egg, to calm the population. What is documented is that the queen was held prisoner here in 1381, shortly before she was murdered.

3What to look for

• The stone causeway linking the islet to the mainland.
• Borgo Marinari, a former fishing village.
• Vesuvius, across the bay.