«Castra», «domus», «palatia», porte in età federiciana: un sistema complesso dai molti significati

The article analyzes the castle system of the age of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. Through the examination of selected exemplary palaces or castles, it redefines the meaning of castrum, palatium, and, in particular, domus, which often denotes a “building structure” in its own right, as there were sometimes several within the same edifice. Special attention is devoted to the symbolic meaning of certain constructions that embody representations of Frederick II’s political ideology: the Gate of Capua and a palace in Naples described by the chronicler Francesco Pipino.