The National Museum of Capodimonte holds one of the largest and most important art collections in Italy.
Highlights
Hidden Gems
- Titian's Portrait of Pope Paul III and his nephews
- Pieter Bruegel's Blind Leading the Blind
- Andy Warhol's Vesuvius
Tour Includes
- Expert local guide
- Skip the Line Tickets
- In-Depth Visit to Capodimonte Museum
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ITINERARY
What To Expect On Your Tour
Discover one of Italy's greatest collections of art in a spectacular Royal palace
The National Museum of Capodimonte holds one of the largest and most important art collections in Italy. Situated in a spectacular location on the hill of the same name to the north of Naples, with a splendid panoramic view of the city and the bay, the museum is housed in the lavish palace built by King Charles I of Bourbon to display the collection he inherited from his mother Elisabetta Farnese – one of the main collections of Italian Renaissance painting. A delightful place and a royal residence, the palace was inhabited by the Bourbons, the French sovereigns of Naples, and the Savoy, the first kings of Italy, until it returned to its original purpose as a museum in 1957 with the restoration of the Farnese collection and with the addition of a large collection of paintings coming from Neapolitan churches and collections.
Masterpieces of the Farnese collection
A visit to the museum allows us to admire the masterpieces of the Farnese collection, formed in the sixteenth century by Pope Paul III and his nephew, the cardinal Alessandro Farnese. It includes paintings by Raphael, Titian, Parmigianino, Carracci, and many other artists who worked actively for the Farnese family in Rome and in Parma. It also includes works by older masters accumulated by the family over the course of more than two centuries of collecting. The visit to the royal apartments of Capodimonte evokes the splendor of the dynasties that have passed through there, with spaces that have preserved the spirit of those times. From the grandiose Ballroom to the impressive Dining Hall with its table still set, we come to the Sitting Room of Porcelain, a masterpiece of the royal porcelain factory at Capodimonte, created by King Charles himself.
Baroque Drama
The paintings on display on the second floor of the palace, from Neapolitan churches and collections, allow us to retrace the sensational artistic history of the city. From Simone Martini to Caravaggio, from Luca Giordano to Francesco Solimena, the faces and ideas of art in Naples from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries unfold before our eyes in the recently renovated halls of the museum. Our journey into the story of the arts in Naples will continue with the collection of Neapolitan paintings from the nineteenth century, with works that follow the major trends in Europe of the time. Capodimonte, alone in Italy, also hosts a permanent collection of contemporary art, in which artists of international fame are faced with and compared to the ancient masterpieces of the museum.
Wander through the woods of Capodimonte
The tour concludes with a leisurely stroll through the Woods of Capodimonte, the vast royal park laid out by the Bourbon kings as their private hunting reserve. Today the estate has shed its courtly exclusivity, becoming the city’s beloved “green lung” – a sprawling oasis where Neapolitans come to escape the bustle of the city below. Shaded avenues wind between mature trees and rolling lawns, opening occasionally onto surprise vistas of the bay and Mount Vesuviu. It’s a refreshing, restorative finale to our visit to Capodimonte, the perfect place to reflect on the unparalleled artistic riches of Naples.
Create Your Custom Journey
Our dedicated team is here to help you design the perfect trip. We’re happy to assist every step of the way.
