Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10am-5pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to 7pm Sat & Sun; R2 to Piazza Trieste e Trento)
, and its col-
lection of costumes, set designs and multimedia music features.
Standing opposite the theatre is the
Galleria Umberto I
, a breathtaking 19th-century arca-
de.
Palazzo Reale
PALACE, MUSEUM
(Royal Palace; 081 40 04 54;
www.coopculture.it
;
Piazza del Plebiscito; adult/reduced €4/3;
9am-7pm Thu-Tue; R2 to Via San Carlo)
Envisaged as a 16th-century monument to Spanish
glory (Naples was under Spanish rule at the time), the magnificent Palazzo Reale is home
to the
Museo del Palazzo Reale
, a rich and eclectic collection of baroque and neoclassical
furnishings, porcelain, tapestries, statues and paintings, spread across the palace's royal
apartments.
Among the many highlights is the restored Teatrino di Corte, a lavish private theatre
created by Ferdinando Fuga in 1768 to celebrate the marriage of Ferdinand IV and Marie
Caroline of Austria. The Cappella Reale (Royal Chapel) houses a colossal 18th-century
presepe
(nativity scene) the
pastori
(crib figurines or sculptures) of which were crafted by
a series of celebrated Neapolitan artists including Giuseppe Sanmartino, creator of the
Cristo velato
(Veiled Christ) inside the Cappella Sansevero (
Click here
).
Designed by Domenico Fontana and completed two long centuries later in 1841, the
081
781 92 31;
www.bnnonline.it
;
Piazza del Plebiscito, Palazzo Reale; admission free; 8.30am-7.15pm
Mon-Fri, to 1.15pm Sat, papyri exhibition closes 1pm; R2 to Piazza Trieste e Trento)
, which in-
cludes at least 2000 papyri discovered at Herculaneum and fragments of a 5th-century
Coptic Bible. Entry to the library requires photo ID.
Facing the palace on Piazza del Plebiscito, the 19th-century
Chiesa di San Francesco di
081 74 51 33; Piazza del Plebiscito;
8.30am-noon & 4-7pm;
R2 to Via San Carlo)
was inspired by Rome's ancient Pantheon.
Castel Nuovo
CASTLE, MUSEUM
( 081 795 58 77; Piazza Municipio; admission €6; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, last entry 6pm; R2 to
Piazza Municipio)
Dubbed the Maschio Angioino (Angevin Keep), this strapping castle was
built in the late 13th century as part of Charles I of Anjou's ambitious urban expansion
