Museo di Capodimonte, Naples

Museo di Capodimonte, Naples

Housed in the grand Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte in Naples, the Museo di Capodimonte showcases one of the best collections of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, along with ancient Roman sculptures and important works from other Italian schools.

Housed in the grand Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte in Naples, the Museo di Capodimonte showcases one of the best collections of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, along with ancient Roman sculptures and important works from other Italian schools. Built around the Farnese Collection inherited by Charles III of Bourbon from his mother, the museum has over 1700 important European works by renowned artists from the 13th to 20th century.

The first and second floors of the Bourbon Royal Palace display the collection of the Galleria Nazionale (National Gallery) of works from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The first floor shows the Farnese Collection and Historic Apartment. Highlights include Correggio's Gypsy Madonna, Masaccio's Crucifixion, Botticelli's Madonna and Child and Two Angels, Caravaggio's The Flagellation of Christ, Bartolomeo's Assumption of the Virgin, Carracci's Hercules at a Crossroad and Bacchus, Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes, Lotto's Portrait of Bernardo de' Rossi Bishop of Treviso, Mantegna's Portrait of Francesco Gonzaga, Parmigianino's Portrait of Young Woman, Raimondi's Angelica and Medoro, Ribera's Drunken Silenus, Titian's Paul III with Nephews and Portrait of Pierluigi Farnese in Armour, Bruegel's The Parable of the Blind. Apart from paintings, there are other works such as Mantegna's sculpture of Sant'Eufemia, gilt silver casket encrusted with jewels commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, trophy-board game depicting Diana the Huntress on deer, bronzes by Giambologna, earthenware dishes with the coat of arms of the Farnese family, ivory items and other miscellaneous objects. The royal apartments are elegantly furnished with period 18th century furniture, Flemish tapestries, chandeliers, and a collection of porcelain and majolica. Of note is the porcelain salon whose walls are entired covered in porcelain.

The Mezzanine floor showcases 19th century Neapolitan art by the likes of Gigante, Migliaro, Mancini and Michetti. The third floor also showcases 19th century works, and has the Mimmo Jodice PhotoGallery as well as Gallery of Contemporary Art, where you can see Andy Warhol’s Vesuvius. The Armory exhibits the weapons and armor of the Farnese and Bourbon families and their garrisons, including firearms, lances, swords and daggers.

The Real Bosco di Capodimonte surrounding the palace is a landscaped park sprawling over 130 hectares, decorated with fountains and statues.

Admission is € 8.00 for adults, € 4.00 for visitors aged 18 - 24 years, and free for children under 18. Entry is free for all on the first Sunday of every month.