Museum
National Archaeological Museum
Naples · Campania
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Museum
- COUNTRY
- Italy
- REGION
- Naples · Campania
- DURATION
- 2 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The National Archaeological Museum of Naples is the world’s finest museum of Roman antiquity, holding the mosaics, frescoes, sculptures and everyday objects removed from Pompeii and Herculaneum since the 18th century. It is the place to see what the buried cities actually looked like, because the best of their wall paintings and floor mosaics were taken here for safekeeping, and the rooms of the museum hold the Alexander Mosaic, the bronzes from the Villa of the Papyri, the Farnese Marbles and the Gabinetto Segreto, the collection of erotic art from the Pompeii brothels. A visit here before Pompeii makes the ruins make sense; a visit after fills in what the sites have lost.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
The museum was founded in the 18th century by the Bourbon king Charles VII of Naples, who gathered the Farnese family collection of sculpture (inherited through his wife) and the finds from the new excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum in one building, the Palazzo degli Studi. It opened to the public in 1816 and was reorganised as the National Archaeological Museum after unification. The Farnese Marbles — the Farnese Bull and the Farnese Hercules, the largest surviving ancient marbles — came from the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. The Pompeii mosaics and frescoes were moved here as they were uncovered, to protect them from the weather and from looters.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The Alexander Mosaic — the vast floor mosaic from the House of the Faun in Pompeii, showing Alexander the Great at the Battle of Issus.
The Farnese Marbles — the Farnese Bull and the Farnese Hercules, the largest surviving ancient sculptures, from the Baths of Caracalla.
The Pompeii frescoes — the wall paintings removed from the buried houses, the best surviving Roman painting.
The Gabinetto Segreto — the collection of erotic art from Pompeii, locked away for two centuries and now open.
The bronzes from Herculaneum — the runners and the portrait busts from the Villa of the Papyri.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
The museum is the indispensable complement to Pompeii and Herculaneum, because it holds the art that made those cities what they were. The ruins show the streets and the houses; the museum shows the paintings, the mosaics and the sculpture that filled them. For a visitor, it is the one museum in Naples that cannot be missed, and the one that most changes what you see when you go to the buried cities.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
MAP & LOCATION
National Archaeological Museum
National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Campania, Italy
40.8525, 14.2494
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Naples
%22%2F%3E%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%22600%22%20cy%3D%22300%22%20r%3D%2290%22%20fill%3D%22%23c8a06a%22%20opacity%3D%220.35%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M0%20620%20L300%20420%20L520%20560%20L760%20360%20L1000%20540%20L1200%20460%20L1200%20800%20L0%20800%20Z%22%20fill%3D%22%23a97c50%22%20opacity%3D%220.22%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M0%20700%20L260%20540%20L480%20640%20L720%20500%20L980%20620%20L1200%20560%20L1200%20800%20L0%20800%20Z%22%20fill%3D%22%2320241f%22%20opacity%3D%220.14%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
THINGS TO DO
Things to do nearby
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele — the most famous pizzeria in Naples, the birthplace of the margherita, since 1870
Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo — the celebrated pizzeria on the Via dei Tribunali, queues around the block
Trattoria da Nennella — a boisterous trattoria in the Spanish Quarter for honest Neapolitan cooking
Trattoria San Ferdinando — a refined trattoria near the Royal Palace for classic Neapolitan dishes
Pintauro — the historic fry-shop on the Via Toledo, for cuoppo and fried street food since 1750
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Grand Hotel Vesuvio — a grand seafront hotel with views of the bay and Vesuvius, since 1882
Romeo Hotel — a design hotel by the harbour, with a rooftop pool and bay views
Hotel Piazza Bellini — a boutique hotel in the historic centre, in a 16th-century building
Hotel Costantinopoli 104 — a charming garden hotel near the National Museum, good value
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
PART OF
Keep exploring
The atlas goes on — more attractions, destinations and stories from every corner of the world.