Castel Dell'Ovo
The most interesting part of this side of the waterfront is with no doubt the Castel dell'Ovo (Egg Castle) which crossed over the whole history of Naples always as protagonist. Castel dell'Ovo rises on the islet of Megaride, in front of the promontory of Monte Echia (today Pizzofalcone) which divides the bay of the port from the bay of Riviera di Chiaia (the Caracciolo waterfront). This islet, once joined to the mainland by a small strip, was landing and settlement point for the first Greek colonists coming from Pithecusa (Ischia, at the beginning colony of Rhodi) who then founded the first nucleous of Partenope on Monte Echia, the 'old city' before Neapolis. During century I b.C. the islet of Megaride became property of Roman general and consul L.Licinio Lucullo, who made there build his most rich and elegant villa, that extended also on the mainland with large gardens and enormous fishing ponds for breeding; it wass traditionally told that in order to build those ponds he ordered massive works which costed more than the whole villa, since they had to cut a whole chunk of the Mount Echia. Minimal tracks of that munificent villa remain, since the islet had been reconstructed many and many times along the centuries.
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