Naples is one of the largest and most enchanting cities in the Mediterranean. The great cultural heritage of the city is made up of numerous historical, archaeological and artistic evidence. It is full of art and museums, everywhere you can find a place telling a story about the old ages.
Museums in Napoli to visit
National museum of Capodimonte
The national museum of Capodimonte, is the most important museum of southern Italy. It tells the history of the Neapolitan painting and houses the Farnese’s and Borgia’s collection. Among the most important painters in the museum are: Botticelli, Pieter Bruegel il Vecchio, i Carracci, Correggio, El Greco, Francisco Goya, Francesco Hayez, Lorenzo Lotto, Mantegna, Masaccio, Parmigianino, Raffaello, Tiziano, Battistello Caracciolo, Jusepe de Ribera, Artemisia Gentileschi, Luca Giordano, Simone Martini and Caravaggio. Furthermore on the third floor we find the contemporary art section; it is the only historic museum in Italy to have a contemporary section.
National Museum of S. Martino
The museum was opened to the public in 1886 after the unification of Italy by the will of the archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli. The spaces were designed to collect evidence of life in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Very interesting is the naval section, which includes various models of real boats. There is also a “gulet” donated by Sultan Selim III to Ferdinand IV of Bourbon.
Royal Palace of Naples
The royal palace was built by the will of the Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro by Domenico Fontana. It looks impressive on Plebiscito square and is surrounded by other important buildings such as the Basilica of St. Francesco of Paola. The present rooms are preserved as in the days of the Spanish domination, while some floors are used as art galleries.
Madre
In the historical center of Naples is situated MADRE art museum (i.e. Donna Regina Museum of Contemporary Art). Just only the palace is a piece of architectural history, being from the Swabian era. Plus, the museum is near the Monastery of Santa Maria of Donnaregina and near the main cathedral. In the rooms of MADRE you can admire works by Kounellis, Serra, Schifano, Rauschenberg, Buren and know new artists thanks to the temporary collections. Recently, the museum made a twinning with the Capodimonte Museum.
Novecento Art Museum
Another place that contemporary art lovers must visit is the Novecento art museum, hosted in the rooms of Castel Sant’Elmo, from which you can see the whole view of Naples. Most artworks are from the futurism era.
PAN
One landmark for photography lovers is the PAN, Palace of Arts in Naples. In PAN you can find a lot of temporary exhibitions that change from floor to floor. Mostly are about photographers such as Cartier-Bresson or Steve McCurry but there are also painting exhibitions and installations.
Archaeological Museum of Naples, also known as MANN
Those who love ancient art can’t miss the visit to the National Museum of Archaeology of Naples, MANN. It is an art museum in which you can admire the epigraphic collection, the Farnese collection, and numismatic collection. It is like a door to the ancient world. MANN hosts temporary exhibitions of artist that want to compare themselves to ancient art.
PLART
If you are looking for a museum suitable for the whole family, you can go to PLART. The real difference with the other museums is that this is an art museum dedicated to plastic, where you can know the history of this peculiar material and observe artwork made with it by Baj, Fontana, Drocco, Pesce, and Gilardi. In this colorful space, you can take part in the events proposed.