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 NAPLES 139 markets for fish, especially for shell fish and oysters, which are in great demand. In January, 1868, a land slide destroyed a number of houses at the foot of Pizzofalcone. Naples possesses hardly any squares. There are a few public places called until recently larghi, but now designated as piazze, some of which are dec- orated with fountains and statuary. Of these the piazza del Mercato is occupied by a great market twice a week. It was the scene of the insurrection of Masa- niello. The piazza del Plebiscito, called before 1860 the largo del Pa- lazzo, occupies the site of four monasteries re- moved in 1810 ; it con- tains equestrian statues of Ferdinand IV. (I.) of Bourbon and Charles III., the latter having been originally modelled for a likeness of Napo- leon, then altered to Murat, and finally to Charles III. The piazza del Municipio, formerly the largo del Castello, is the largest in Naples, and contains a celebrated fountain erected by the duke of Medina Celi. The villa Nazionale is the fashionable prome- nade, and may be said to form part of the Ri- viera di Chiaia. It is 5,000 ft. long and 200 ft. wide, planted with evergreens, oaks, and acacias. It was laid out in 1T80, and enlarged in 1807 and 1834. The early part of it is in the Italian style, and the additions are in the Egyptian, and contain two temples dedicated to Virgil and Tasso, winding paths, grottoes, and a terrace extending into the sea. The sea air proved so injurious to the statuary, that the famous Farnese bull was removed to the museum, and replaced in 1825 by the large granite basin from Pa3stum which forms the central fountain. Other remarkable statues have also since been taken away, and replaced by mediocre copies of celebrated works of an- tiquity. The Molo is a favorite resort of the seafaring classes. The popular minstrels, or cantatori, who formerly frequented it, have removed to the Marinella, a long open beach, once the resort of the lazzaroni. The latter class has lost its ancient characteristic fea- tures, being composed mainly of industrious boatmen and fishermen, though they still pre- serve their fondness for lying on the beach and basking in the sun. Prominent among the public buildings of Naples are the castles. The castel Nuovo, with its massive towers and fosses, is situated near the port. The triumphal arch, erected in honor of the entry of Alfonso of Aragon into the city in the 15th century, is remarkable for its classical style, and stands between two of the old broad and massive Anjou towers. It is entered by bronze gates, sculptured in compartments rep- resenting the victories of Ferdinand I. ; they are the work of the monk Guglielmo. Within are the barracks and a magnificent hall, now Castel Nuovo. used as an armory, but formerly for a royal re- ception room, and for state festivals. A cov- ered gallery connects the fort with the palace. Adjoining the castle and the royal palace are the dockyard and arsenal. Iron-clad and other vessels of the Italian navy are frequently sta- tioned here. The castel dell' Ovo, in the south- ernmost part of the city, is of oval form, and defended by bastions and outworks. It was much enlarged by Charles I., and is now chiefly used as a prison. The castel Sant' Elmo, the most commanding point in the city, was built in its present form by Pedro de Toledo, and is said to abound with mines and subterranean passages, which, together with the counterscarp and fosses cut in the solid tufa, and its formi- dable walls, made it of great strategical impor- tance. It has been dismantled under the new regime, and is used as a military prison. Its ramparts afford a splendid prospect of the city and bay. The castel Capuano was once the residence of the Swabian and occasionally of the Anjou dynasty ; it is now the seat of the tribunal of commerce, and of the principal courts of criminal and civil law, and contains a prison on the ground floor, unhappily celebrated under the Bourbons. The castel del Carmine was fortified after the revolt of Masaniello, when it was the stronghold of the insurgents, and is now used as a military prison and bar- racks. The palazzo del municipio was begun in 1819 and completed in 1825 for the purpose of conducting all the public business in one building. It contains 6 courts, 846 apartments, and 40 corridors, covering 200,000 sq. ft. of ground. There are many fountains, some of