Naples in winter, an easy treat!

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The park of Capodimonte was planted in the 18 th century and is 300 has large, the largest city park in Italy.

Spending a few days in Naples, Italy, is probably the best idea in the middle of winter and when a dear friend called to ask me to  Teatro San Carlo, I did not think twice. The AF flight was easy and perfect, we all booked at the Excelsior, one of the rare true palaces left, with old style service, sometimes a hole in the sheet or rusty taps, but fabulous rooms overlooking the harbor or the Vesuvio. And it is very affordable out of season (160€). We spent a whole morning at Museo Capodimonte which will close for renovations in the Spring. On June 8, a show with its treasures will open at the Louvre. A few members of the group went to Pompeï but I preferred to visit the Pompeï rooms at Museo Archeologico including the sexy room. So the trip was not extravagant, but we indulged in five different “Rhum baba”, the delicious dessert specialty, which was even served for breakfast! 

Sylvain Bellenger, General Director of the Museum and of the Royal Wood of Capodimonte is French

Sylvain Bellenger, director of Capodimonte, is responsible (among many other miracles) for replanting the gardens and restoring the three hundred hectares of woods around the Royal palace. They include multiple statues and buildings such as the Royal Factory of porcelain, the Casino della Regina, and the Church of San Gennaro. Of course, the Palace (170 m x 87 m) is the main topic of interest. It was built by Charles de Bourbon for the collection he received from his mother Elisabetta Farnese. It includes Titian, Raphael, Michelangelo… but also amazing constructions in Porcelain from Capodimonte and Flemish tapestries on François 1er’s battles in Northern Italy.

The galleries are like a private home with a mix of paintings (Girolamo Mirola, “The rape of the Sabine women”, 1563) and marble sculptures

Beside the extraordinary quality of the collection, what is most precious here is the “lived in” atmosphere which reigns in the royal palace. You never feel that you are in a museum but rather, you discover outstanding works which once belonged to men and women who loved them. Annibale Carracci‘s “Christ in Glory and “Coronation of the Virgin” are among the sensuous large paintings of the Farnese collection. So is Il Parmigianino‘s “Antea”.  I enjoyed Brueghel’s “Parabole of the Blind” and “the Misanthrope” but of course the Caravaggio’s and the Titians are the most famous paintings. In the Bourbon collection, Guido Reni‘s “Atalanta and Ippomene” is alone worth the visit, a painting by Claude Lorrain, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (who lived in Naples after fleeing the Revolution and painted all the Bourbon). On the third floor a small but excellent collection of contemporary art includes Andy Warhol‘s “Vesuvius” and Mario Merz‘ “Shock Wave” as well as Alberto Burri‘s “Big Black Crete”.

Francesco Mazzola, detto Il Parmigianino, “Antea”, 1535-1537

I missed, for lack of time, the Certosa of San Martino, which has the best views of town and its museum devoted to Neapolitan Creches but spent fun hours at Museo Archeologico, on via Toledo, one of the liveliest street in the center. A number of Pompeï’s mosaics were away in Tokyo and one is at the Louvre in the “Les Choses” exhibition but the erotic  room is amazing and the endless frescoes and terracottas are just overwhelming. the old style of the museum is also very charming.

Panther with Dyonisian symbol of the rhyton (drinking horn) and a thyrsus with cymbale

Of course one of the joys of Naples are the pizzas and fish restaurants in Porto di Santa Lucia facing the hotel. At lunch time it is strategic to chose teh sunny side in winter and the shady side in summer. I walked to the beautiful Teatro San Carlo for Verdi’s Don Carlo with Ludovic Tézier and enjoyed the atmosphere of this beautiful opera house, a nice way of discovering the local society. The Circolo dell Unione which is adjacent serves drinks or dinner to its members.

Piatto attico a figure rosse in the erotic room of Museo archaeologico

Do not try to drive or even take taxis for short distances, the center is all one way and the traffic impossible. But because you tend to climb a lot, some trips need a chauffeur… Of course the whole point of being in Naples is also to travel to Ravello and Amalfi but do stay in town for a few days, there are so many treasures.

Teatro San Carlo and the Royal Loge

And make sure to book before visiting Museo Capodimonte because it sometimes closes without notice….

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7 Comments on “Naples in winter, an easy treat!”

  1. That Naples trip was something else! Lucky you. Makes one want to go right away. Great photos Laure. Thank you for taking us along on your trip with your lovely blog.

  2. I saw carmina burana in San carlo, first performance after covid. 120 people on stage. “”revenge opera !”this memory is forever.

  3. Wow, Laure! I want to do, see and drink everything in your Diary this week! De merveilleux plaisirs de loin!

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