June 23, 2011 (19.30)
Welcome Party - Castel Dell'Ovo (Naples)
Built over the small island where the first Greek colony was created in the 9th century B.C., this castle is one of Naples's most famous sites; its profile graces most pictures of the bay. According to legend, its name, "Castle of the Egg," refers to the magic egg that the classic poet Virgil -- the author of the Aeneid and a reputed magician -- placed under the foundations to protect it. The fortress evolved from the villa of the Roman Lucullus (a celebrated gourmand), which was fortified in the Middle Ages and transformed into a castle by Frederick II. Enlarged and strengthened between the 16th and the 18th centuries, it remained a royal residence until the 20th century.