Porta Capuana
Occupying a rather unkempt pedestrianized piazza, this elegant ceremonial gateway is one of Naples's finest Renaissance landmarks. Ferdinand II of Aragon commissioned the Florentine sculptor and architect Giuliano da Maiano to build this white triumphal arch—perhaps in competition with the Arco di Trionfo found on the facade of the city's Castel Nuovo—in the late 15th century. As at Castel Nuovo, this arch is framed by two peperino stone towers, here nicknamed Honor and Virtue, while the statue of Saint Gennaro keeps watch against Mt. Vesuvius in the distance. Across Via Carbonara stands the medieval bulk of the Castel Capuano, home to Angevin and Aragonese rulers until 1540, when it was transformed by the Spanish viceroy into law courts, a function it fulfilled until just a few years ago. On Sunday, this is a meeting place for Naples's extracomunitari (immigrants), who chat in their native tongues—from Ukrainian and Polish to Twi and Igbo.
