Royal Palace of Capodimonte

Descrizione:

The Royal Palace of Capodimonte is located on the hill of the same name which dominates Naples.

Its construction was ordered by Charles III of Bourbon, who in the 1730s decided to start the project.

First, the military architect Antonio Medrano was tasked with buying all the necessary plots of lands and properties in the area selected by the king.

Later, in 1738, the works properly began, following the project presented by Medrano himself, in a partnership, then interrupted, with Antonio Canevari.

Because of the scarce economic resources, the works lasted for many years, and in 1743 an intervention by Ferdinando Sanfelice was recorded. He built the facility that would eventually house the porcelain factory and the church dedicated to St. Januarius.

Before returning to Spain in 1759, King Charles brought his art collection in the completed area of the building and left the throne to his son Ferdinand IV.

Unfortunately, under his reign, all construction works were halted, and the royal palace was turned into his residence, with the art pieces moved to the Palace of Studies.

In 1799, due to the Jacobine rising, Ferdinand had to flee to Sicily, and he brought along part of his collection, which never returned.

The same thing happened five years later, with the king fleeing again during the French invasion. So, during the French domination, Giuseppe Bonaparte decided to live in the royal palace, and in 1809, he had the road connecting Capodimonte to the Museum built.

The construction works resumed only in 1817, when the ruling Bourbons returned to Naples. On that occasion, Domenico Venuto prepared the art collections, such as the one in Palazzo Cellamare, turning the building into a Bourbon Museum.

In 1883, with Ferdinand II, the construction of the final part of the building began anew along with a series of decoration works, designed by Tommaso Giordano for the architectural part and by Salvatore Giusti for the aesthetical one.

A semi-circular staircase was realized, accessed by a triple arcade, repeated on the upper floor as well, sporting four niches with statues; furthermore, the walls were decorated with stucco cherubs, emblems and medallions.

With the unification of Italy, the ownership of the Royal Palace passed to the Savoy who continued to use it as residence yet began to display several collection and art pieces inside the several halls of the building, especially thanks to the commitment displayed by Domenico Morelli, Federico Maldarelli and Tommaso De Vivo, who took care of gathering canvases by Neapolitan painters, purchased by the royal family during the exhibitions organized by the Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1920 the ownership of the palace passed to the State, but the Savoy continued living there until 1948 when, the war over, it was decided to use the building as a museum.

So, after the completion of the renovation works carried out by the architect Ezio De Felice, the official inauguration took place in 1957.

Opening hours:

The museum is open everyday, except on Wednesday. Reservation is recommended via the website Coopculture or via the app Capodimonte (available on App Store and Google Play);
The museum is closed on Wednesday, the 25th December and the 1st January;
The 24th December and the 31st December the museum is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Last entrance at 1:00 p.m.)

TICKET COST

€ 10 full

€ 8 reduced (for people who also buy a ticket for sessione autunnale del Campania Teatro Festival 2021 – only available until 31st December 2021)

€ 5 reduced for those who got vaccinated at the Covid Center della Fagianeria – only if they show the certificate.

€ 2 reduced for European Union citizens between 18 and 25 years old (until the 25th birthday, included).

Free for people under 18 years old and for italian citizens who live abroad.

Free for those who bought a ticket for Campania Teatro Festival 2021 (sessione estiva) set up in the Real Bosco di Capodimonte (only available until the 30th September 2021).

Visita con green pass, digitale o cartaceo.

The museum ticket is also valid for current exhibitions. It is valid for one whole day (it is possible to leave the museum and join again until closure).

The wardrobe service is actually available only on Saturday and Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The audioguide service is temporarily not available.

Chairs for disabled people are available.

The Museum and Real Bosco di Capodimonte are part of the cultural places of Campania Artecard – ticket facilitations are available.

If you bought a ticket for the museum, you will be able to buy a ticket for one of the exhibitions of CTF21 with a reduced price (€ 5).