Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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. Incredibly, Angelo Viva's statues of Apollo and the Muses set along
the walls are made of papier mâché.
Snigger smugly in Sala (Room) XII, where the 16th-century canvas
Gli esattori delle
imposte
(The Tax Collectors) by Dutch artist Marinus Claesz Van Roymerswaele confirms
that attitudes to tax collectors have changed little in 500 years.
The next room, Sala XIII, used to be Joachim Murat's study in the 19th century but was
used as a snack bar by Allied troops in WWII. Meanwhile, what looks like a waterwheel
in Sala XXIII is actually a nifty rotating reading desk made for Marie Caroline by Gio-
vanni Uldrich in the 18th century.
The Cappella Reale (Royal Chapel) houses a colossal 18th-century
presepe
. Impress-
ively detailed, its cast of wise men, busty peasants and munching mules was crafted by a
series of celebrated Neapolitan artists including Giuseppe Sanmartino, creator of the in-
credible
Cristo velato
(Veiled Christ) that is housed in the Cappella Sansevero (
Click here
).
Extending out from Sala IX, the once-impressive hanging gardens are still closed for
restoration, although they are sometimes opened for the Maggio dei Monumenti (
Click
ground-floor entrance. Entry is free and there are bay views to boot.
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, 8.30am-1.15pm Sat, papyri exhibition closes 1pm;
R2 to Piazza Trieste e Trento)
, which includes at least 2000 papyri discovered at Hercu-
laneum and fragments of a 5th-century Coptic Bible. Entry to the library requires photo
ID.
MUSEUM
Memus
(Museum & Historical Archive of the Teatro San Carlo;
www.memus.org
;
Piazza del
Plebiscito, Palazzo Reale; adult/reduced €10/5; 10am-5pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to
7pm Sat & Sun; R2 to Piazza Trieste e Trento)
Located inside the Palazzo Reale (pur-
chase tickets at the palace ticket booth), this state-of-the-art museum documents the his-
tory of Europe's oldest working opera house, the Teatro San Carlo (
Click here
)
. The col-
lection combines historic costumes, sketches, instruments and memorabilia with interact-
