Landmark
Royal Palace and Capodimonte
Naples · Campania
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Landmark
- COUNTRY
- Italy
- REGION
- Naples · Campania
- DURATION
- 2 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The Royal Palace of Naples, the Palazzo Reale, is the Bourbon palace on the Piazza del Plebiscito, the seat of the kings of the Two Sicilies from the 17th to the 19th century. Its state rooms, the court theatre and the monumental staircase show the grandeur of the Bourbon court, and the palace overlooks the great semicircular square and the church of San Francesco di Paola that the king built in imitation of the Pantheon. On the hill above the city, the Capodimonte palace holds the Farnese art collection — the Titians, the Raphaels and the Bruegel — and the best view over the bay, in a royal hunting lodge turned into one of Italy’s great galleries.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
The Royal Palace was begun in 1600 by the Spanish viceroy and enlarged by the Bourbons after they took the throne of the Two Sicilies in 1734. It was the seat of the court until the unification of Italy in 1861, and its state rooms preserve the decoration of the Bourbon kings. The Capodimonte palace was built by Charles VII of Bourbon in 1738 as a hunting lodge and a gallery for the Farnese art collection he had inherited; it became a public museum in 1957. The Farnese collection, begun by Pope Paul III in the 16th century, holds the Titians, the Raphaels and the Bruegels that are the core of the gallery.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The state rooms of the Royal Palace — the Bourbon apartments, the court theatre and the monumental staircase.
The Piazza del Plebiscito — the great semicircular square and the church of San Francesco di Paola, modelled on the Pantheon.
The Capodimonte gallery — the Farnese collection, with Titian’s Danaë, Raphael and the Bruegel, in the royal palace on the hill.
The view from Capodimonte — the panorama over the bay, Vesuvius and the city from the palace terrace.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
The Royal Palace and Capodimonte are the two buildings that show the Bourbon Naples of the 18th century — the kingdom that made Naples one of the great capitals of Europe before unification reduced it to a provincial city. The art at Capodimonte is among the finest in Italy, and the palace itself gives the best view of the bay. For a visitor, the two together are the complement to the Greek-Roman and medieval centre, the layer that completed the city.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
MAP & LOCATION
Royal Palace and Capodimonte
Royal Palace and Capodimonte, Naples, Campania, Italy
40.8372, 14.2425
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Naples
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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
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