Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The adjoining Palazzo Reale is also home to the theatre's fascinating museum,
Memus
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(Museum & Historical Archive of the Teatro San Carlo; ;
http://memus.squarespace.com
;
Piazza
del Plebiscito, Palazzo Reale; adult/reduced incl Palazzo Reale €10/5; 10am-5pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to 7pm Sat
& Sun; R2 to Piazza Trieste e Trento)
, and its collection of costumes, set designs and multime-
dia music features.
Standing opposite the theatre is the
Galleria Umberto I
, a breathtaking 19th-century arcade.
Palazzo Reale
MAP
PALACE, MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
(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, porcel-
ain, 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
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 includes at least 2000 papyri dis-
covered 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 Paola
MAP
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
MAP
CASTLE, MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
( 081 795 58 77; Piazza Municipio; admission €6; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, last entry 6pm; R2 to Piazza Muni-
cipio)
Dubbed the Maschio Angioino (Angevin Keep), this strapping castle was built in the
