This courtyard – created in the seventeenth century to offer a view of the sea from the Viceroyal palace – was never completed as can be seen from the architectural structures in volcanic tuff, limited to the oldest portion towards the Courtyard of Honour. The large square overlooking the sea was connected to the military arsenal below by the Rampa del Gigante, named after the colossal statue placed at the corner of Largo di Palazzo, the current Piazza del Plebiscito. This ancient sculpture was excavated in Cuma and transported here in the seventeenth century but was removed at the beginning of the nineteenth century and is now on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. The Hanging Garden, which closes off the courtyard towards the sea, already existed the eighteenth century.
Around the mid-nineteenth century during the general renovation of the entire complex directed by architect Gaetano Genovese, the buildings adjoining the courtyard which had grown haphazardly over the previous two centuries, were redefined according to a single and perfectly symmetrical design. A cast iron bridge was constructed at the centre to connect the Hanging Garden to the vestibule of the State Apartments. Destroyed by bombings in 1943, the bridge was faithfully rebuilt in 2009.
The access halls to the Belvedere Courtyard offer telescopic views of the other courtyards and the sea. The East entrance hall at the end gives on to the so-called Spianata, a large terraced area offering a magnificent view of the port and the Gulf of Naples, with the Castel Nuovo and the Vesuvius in the background.