Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
discovered in 1545 near the Baths of Caracalla in Rome and was restored by Michelan-
gelo, before eventually being shipped to Naples in 1787
. Ercole
was discovered in the
same Roman excavations, albeit without his legs. When they turned up at a later dig, the
Bourbons had them fitted.
If you're short on time, take in both these masterpieces before heading straight to the
mezzanine floor, home to an exquisite collection of
mosaics
, mostly from Pompeii. Of the
series taken from the Casa del Fauno, it is
La battaglia di Alessandro contro Dario
(The
Battle of Alexander against Darius) in Room LXI that stands out. The best-known depic-
tion of Alexander the Great, the 20-sq-metre mosaic was probably made by Alexandrian
craftsmen working in Italy around the end of the 2nd century BC.
Beyond the mosaics, the
Gabinetto Segreto
(Secret Chamber) contains a small but much-
studied collection of ancient erotica. Guarding the entrance is a marble statue of a
lascivious-looking Pan draped over a very coy Daphne. Pan is then caught in the act, this
time with a nanny goat, in the collection's most famous piece - a small and surprisingly
sophisticated statue taken from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum. There is also a series
of nine paintings depicting erotic positions - a menu of sorts for brothel clients.
Originally the royal library, the enormous
Sala Meridiana
(Great Hall of the Sundial) on
the 1st floor is home to the Farnese Atlante, a statue of Atlas carrying a globe on his
shoulders, as well as various paintings from the Farnese collection. Look up and you'll
find Pietro Bardellino's riotously colourful 1781 fresco depicting the Triumph of Ferdin-
and IV of Bourbon and Marie Caroline of Austria.
The rest of the 1st floor is largely devoted to fascinating discoveries from Pompeii,
Herculaneum, Boscoreale, Stabiae and Cuma. Among them are vivid wall
frescoes
from
the Villa di Agrippa Postumus and the Casa di Meleagro, as well as ceramics, glassware,
engraved coppers and Greek funerary vases.
Complesso Monumentale
di San Lorenzo Maggiore
( 081 211 08 60;
www.sanlorenzomaggiorenapoli.it
;
Via dei Tribunali 316; church admission free, ex-
cavations & museum adult/reduced €9/7; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, to 1.30pm Sun; C55 to Via
Duomo)
A masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, this late-13th-century basilica fea-
tures the 14th-century, mosaic-covered tomb of Catherine of Austria, as well as splashes
of frescoes by Giotto-collaborator Giovanni Barile in the ambulatory. According to le-
gend, it was here that Boccaccio first fell for Mary of Anjou, the inspiration for his char-
acter Fiammetta, while the poet Petrarch called the adjoining convent home in 1345.
BASILICA
