Guided tour of the National Museum of Capodimonte

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The National Museum of Capodimonte presents some of the world's finest art collections in the splendid setting of the Reggia di Capodimonte, ranging from Caravaggio to Raphael to Andy Warhol. On a trip to Naples, a visit to admire the works of art in the iconic palace on the Capodimonte hill is an absolute must in one of Italy's most important museums.

History of the National Museum of Capodimonte

The palace that still stands proudly on Capodimonte Hill today was commissioned by the ruler of Naples Charles of Bourbon, who ascended the throne in 1734 and posed the problem of arranging the works of art he had inherited from his mother Elisabeth Farnese. He therefore decided to use a palace ex novo as a museum, work on which began in 1738, extending over the years with numerous enlargements and openings of new rooms to house the thousands of paintings and sculptures divided by artist.

The Capodimonte palace, however, had a troubled history as early as the 19th century: Following the descent of the French, who looted the museum of numerous works of art, and the subsequent restoration of the Bourbon throne, the palace was transformed into the Reggia di Capodimonte, housing first the Bourbon royals and then the Duke of Aosta following the Unification of Italy.

It was only after World War II, on the wave of the enthusiasm of reconstruction, that the Reggia di Capodimonte returned to its original intentions, those of a museum. The Capodimonte Museum was opened in 1957, with its paintings divided by historical collections in chronological order, accompanied by explanatory texts and drawings. The museum has also been enriched over the years with new collections, promptly added to the museum wings.

Must-see works in the National Museum of Capodimonte

The three-story Capodimonte Museum actually houses as many as twelve galleries and collections of priceless works of art, ranging from the 1200s to contemporary art. Of absolute note. The Flagellation of Christ Caravaggio's, Portrait of a Young Girl by Titian, housed in the Farnese Gallery along with Antea by Parmigianino and to many other paintings and sculptures by Raphael, Peter Brueghel the Elder, Giambologna, Guido Reni, and dozens and dozens of other artists.

For those who adore the Middle Ages, the room dedicated to the d'Avalos collection and its Tapestries of the Battle of Pavia is an absolute must-see, as is the 19th-century room devoted to 19th-century painters, including works by Vincenzo Gemito, Raffaele Belliazzi and Michele Cammarano, whose work The Breach of Porta Pia literally makes a watershed with the contemporary art gallery, where the grand master of pop art Andy Warhol paid homage to Naples with his Vesuvius.