The National Museum of Capodimonte is located in the Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte, which sits in an idyllic park on a hill overlooking Naples. It contains one of Italy’s finest painting collections.
Reggia di Capodimonte in Naples (© Portanapoli.com)
The National Museum of Capodimonte is one of Naples most impressive museums, also for its beautiful location in the Palazzo Reale. From its park you can enjoy a wonderful panorama over the gulf of Naples.
The Museum as you can see it today was opened in 1957 and houses exhibitions of different topics: In one of the wings on the ground floor, you can see changing exhibitions. The graphics collection and the paintings of the 19th century are located on the mezanine floor. On the first floor, you find the former Farnese Collection and the outstanding craftwork of the Capodimonte School like porcelain and glass- and ceramic tableware.
On the two other upper floors you can see a significant collection of paintings with works of the Renaissance (e.g., Titian, Raphael, Botticelli, and Tintoretto), and the “Neapolitan Gallery” exhibits works from the 13th to the 19th century.
Besides the paintings of the 19th century, the second floor has also a collection of contemporary art. You’ll find works of Jannis Kounellis, Alberto Burri, and Sigmar Polke.
When Charles III inherited the extensive Farnese Collection in 1735, he moved it to this city palace, which was originally planned to be the royal residence. From 1759 to 1806 the palace was both a residence and a museum, in which the invaluable Farnese collection was exhibited.Only in the French period from 1806 to 1815, the palace was a residence, whose rooms were furnished for the new rulers. In these years all paintings and works of art were brought in the Palazzo degli Studi.
After the Italian Unification (1861) the Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte passed to the Italian king house Savoia, which gave it to the Italian state in 1920. In the 50’s other paintings were added from the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Napoli to the existing collections.
Address: Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte
via Miano 2, 80131 – Napoli
Tel. 0039.081.7499111
Fax 0039.081.7445032
Facebook: www.facebook.com/museodicapodimonte
How to reach: Bus 24 from Piazza Trieste e Trento or bus C65 from the underground station “Colli Aminei” (Linea 1 )
