Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shopping
D5
E6
B5
Palazzo Reale
di Capodimonte
( 081 749 91 11;
www.polomusealenapoli.beniculturali.it/museo_cp/museo_cp.html
;
Parco di Capodimonte; adult/reduced €7.50/3.75; museum 8.30am-7.30pm Thu-Tue,
last entry 6pm; park 7.45am-1hr before sunset; R4 to Via Miano)
This colossal palace
took more than a century to build. Originally planned as a hunting lodge for Charles VII
of Bourbon, the king's plans just kept getting grander. By its completion in 1759, Naples
had a new palazzo. Official residence of Joseph Bonaparte and Joachim Murat during the
decade of French rule (1806-15), it's now home to the
Museo Nazionale di Capodi-
monte
and its superlative art collection.
With much of the collection inherited by Charles from his mother Elisabetta Farnese,
the museum's extensive booty is spread over three floors and 160 rooms. The 1st floor is
dominated by the Galleria Farnese and the Appartamento Reale (Royal Apartment); the
2nd floor contains the Galleria delle Arti a Napoli; while the top floor is dedicated to
modern art.
To do the whole museum in one day is impossible - you'd need at least two to start get-
ting to grips with the place. For most people, though, a full morning is sufficient for a
shortened best-of tour, and forking out €5 for the insightful audioguide is a worthy invest-
ment.
First-floor highlights include family portraits of the Farnese by Raphael and Titian in
room 2 and Masaccio's celebrated
Crocifissione
(Crucifixion; 1426) in Room 3. Botti-
celli's
Madonna col Bambino e due angeli
(Madonna with Baby and Angels; Room 6),
Bellini's
Trasfigurazione
(Transfiguration; Room 8) and Parmigianino's
Antea
(Room 12)
are all must-see pieces, while Joachim Beukelaer's voluptuous 16th-century market
scenes will whet your appetite in Room 18. In Room 20, a glum-looking Hercules is torn
between a stern-looking Virtue and a fun-loving Vice in Annibale Carracci's 16th-century
painting
Ercole al bivio
(Hercules at the Crossroads).
PALACE, MUSEUM, PARK
