Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lined with decorative majolica vases, while Pietro Bardellino's epic ceiling painting por-
trays an episode from Homer's
Illiad
, in which Macaon is curing the wounded Menelaos.
A more unusual but no less striking feature of the reception hall is a rococo inlay portray-
ing an allegory of caesarean birth.
Despite its limited accessibility (by guided tour only; call or email ahead to confirm),
the
farmacia
(pharmacy or apothecary) is well worth seeing. Some of Naples' finest
baroque architects and artists worked on the site: Domenico Antonio Vaccaro styled the
facade, Bartolomeo Vecchione designed the interior, and Gennaro di Fiore engraved the
shelves, the latter also collaborating with Carlo Vanvitelli at the
Reggia di Caserta
(Palazzo Reale;
www.reggiadicaserta.beniculturali.it
;
Viale Douhet 22, Caserta; adult/
concession €13.20/6.60; palace 8.30am-7pm Wed-Mon, Mostra Terrea Motus
9am-6pm Wed-Mon, park 8.30am-1hr before sunset Wed-Mon, Giardino Inglese
8.30am-2hr before sunset Wed-Mon Jun-Aug, reduced hrs rest of yr ; Caserta)
. The
majolica vases were painted by Lorenzo Salandra and Donato Massa (whose most famous
tilework is found in the cloister of the Basilica di Santa Chiara, (
Click here
)
). Not sur-
pringly, the pharmacy is widely considered one of the city's finest examples of early 18th-
century craftmanship.
The pharmacy shares the Cortile degli Incurabili (Courtyard of the Incurables) with the
Museo delle Arti Sanitarie
(Museum of the History of Medicine & Health;
Click here
;
Via Maria Longo 50, Ospedale degli Incurabili; admission free; 9am-1.30pm Mon-
Sat; Cavour, Museo)
, home to a wince-inducing collection of old surgical intruments and
anatomical prints. The collection also includes an original
flagello della pesta
, a beak-like
wooden mask worn during the city's infamous plagues.
Opposite the pharmacy, stairs lead up to the main hospital building, through which you
can access the wonderfully tranquil
Orto Medico
(Medical Garden), lovingly adorned
with medicinal plants and herbs. At its centre is a small fountain and a beautiful,
400-year-old camphor tree. Walk a little further and you'll stumble upon the smaller
Chiostro Santa Maria delle Grazie
, its lush tropical foliage framed by a frescoed, vaul-
ted portico.
Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo
Offline map
( 081 551 86 13; Piazza del Gesù Nuovo; 7am-1pm & 4.15-8pm; Dante)
One of
Naples' finest examples of Renaissance architecture, this 16th-century church actually
sports the 15th-century, Giuseppe Valeriani-designed facade of Palazzo Sanseverino, con-
verted to create the church. Inside, it's a baroque affair, with greats like Francesco
CHURCH
