Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
La Sanita & Capodimonte
The hill and valley of Capodimonte and La Sanita are as contradictory as Naples
gets. The residential streets below are congested and dirty, and there don't seem to
be any businesses other than motorcycle repair shops. Up above, on the
Capodimonte, are some of Naples's best attractions, starting with the exquisite
Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte
(Parco di Capodimonte;
%
081-7499111;
€
7.50, reduced price after 2pm; Tues-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 9am-2pm).
This mas-
sive structure was intended as a hunting lodge for Charles VII of Bourbon in
1738, but during its construction it evolved and became what it is today: a palace
housing the art collections of Charles and his mother, Elisabetta Farnese. In 1860,
the museum expanded to house Naples's Gallery of Modern Art. In 1957 it
evolved again to become the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte and Farnese
Collection. It is widely considered one of the world's best Renaissance and post-
Renaissance art collections, with some 160 rooms spread out over three floors.
Don't try to do the whole museum in one visit—there is simply no way you
can survive that much art in one dose. Instead, dedicate a couple of hours to the
highlights, including the
Crucifixion
(1426) by Masaccio, in
Room 3;
Madonna
with Baby and Angels
by Botticelli, in
Room 6
;
Danae
by Titian, in
Room 11;
and
Raphael's portraits of Pope Paul III. Once you've seen those, snoop around the
Gallery of Rare Objects
to view such treasures as the gold-embossed dining table
of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. There are also porcelain collections in the Royal
Apartments that are spread through
rooms 31 to 60,
and intricately woven
Belgian tapestries on the second floor.
Room 78
is dedicated entirely to
Caravaggio's
Flagellation
(1607-10).
The museum is set inside the former 130-hectare (321-acre) hunting reserve
called the Parco di Capodimonte. There are five lakes, several villas, and an old
porcelain factory inside, but unless you're in Naples for an extended stay and have
already explored the rest of this fascinating city and environs, this park is proba-
bly not worth your time.
Instead, head down to the catacombs of
San Gennaro
555
(Via Capodimonte,
16;
%
081-7411071;
€
5; 45-minute guided tours only at 9, 10, 11am, and
noon).
The entrance is hidden back behind the
Chiesa di Madre di Buon
Consiglio,
on the left side. These are Naples's oldest and most intriguing cata-
combs, dating back to the 2nd century. There are two levels of catacombs, com-
plete with frescoed ceilings, pillars, and arches holding up the passageways among
the tombs. Naples's patron saint and the catacombs' namesake, San Gennaro, was
moved here in the 5th century when the site became a must-see for religious
pilgrims.
When you're exploring this part of Naples, it's impossible not to notice the
beautifully tiled dome of the
Chiesa Santa Maria della Sanità
(Via della Sanità,
124).
Below this church, known to locals as the Chiesa di San Vincenzo, are some
other interesting
catacombs
(
€
5; guided tours Mon-Fri at 9:30, 10:15, 11, and
11:45am and 12:30pm)
with remnants of mosaics and some weathered frescoes.
The guide explains how corpses of the middle class and poor were left in the fetal
position to signify that human beings should leave the world as they entered it.
Wealthy families apparently stuck the skulls and assorted bones of their dead into
walls, and had frescoes of skeletons painted around them. You'll see the stone
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