The Royal Palace in Naples (Palazzo Reale di Napoli) is a striking building, built as a residence for the royal family of the Bourbon dynasty (Borbone), who headed the Kingdom of Naples (Kingdom of both Sicilies) (Regno delle Due Sicilie).
History of construction and reconstruction
The construction of the palace near the Cathedral of St. Francis from Paopa (Basilica dei Santi Francesco di Paolo) near Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples has been carried out since 1600 for more than half a century. An architectural design in the neoclassical style was designed by Domenico Fontana. This was a well-known master, born in Switzerland, supported by Pope Sixtus X (Pontifex Romanus Sixtus X) and invited to the construction of the Royal Palace for the Spanish king Philip III (Felipe III) by viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro (Fernando Ruiz de Castro).
The building was built for 15 years, then 5 years the famous Italian artists adorned the interior. In the palace you can see the paintings by Giovanni Balducci, Battistello Caracciolo and many others.
When the construction and decoration of the interiors was completed, the viceroy Fernando Ruiz settled in the palace, as the Spanish ruler did not gather here and never visited him in this way. In 1730, the granddaughter of Philip III came to Naples - Maria of Hungary (Maria of Austria, Maria von Ungarn).
For the first time, the ruler of Spain came to the Palazzo Real only in 1734 - it was Charles III (Karlos III). According to his order, restoration work was carried out on the project of Luigi Vanvitelli, however, at the same time, by his order, the construction of two other palaces began - in Capodimonte and Capertimonte (Caserta). When the royal residence in Caserta, surpassing the splendor of the Versailles Palace and surrounded by the largest park in Italy, was ready, the Spanish kings stayed there until the end of the 18th century.
In 1768, the palace was improved again: under the direction of the architect Ferdinand Fuga, the Court Theater (Teatro di corte) was built.
Members of the royal families of Spain and Austria and their courtiers, for example, King Ferdinando I (Ferdinando I), constantly lived in the Palazzo Real. After the Bourbons lived in the palace, then representatives of the Savoy dynasty (Casa Savoia), during the conquest of Italy by France, Napoleon's governor Joachim Murat and his wife, the sister of the emperor Caroline Bonaparte.
In 1837, after a major devastating fire, the building underwent another restoration designed by architect Gaetano Genovese. Then they attached the whole wing, which housed the National Library (Biblioteca Nazionale) of Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele III).
In 1888, at the behest of King Savoia Umberto I, in the lower floor from the square, in niches, sculptural images of the great Neapolitan rulers appeared from Roger (Roger I, The Great Count of Sicily, 1072 - 1101) to Victor Emmanuel III (1869-1947). At the same time, the famous statues of the sculptor Peter Clodt from the Anichkov Bridge in St. Petersburg, which were presented to the Neapolitan king by the Russian emperor Nicholas I, were installed at the gate leading to the palace garden.
What to see
First, the Royal Palace is inspected from the outside: a clock and a small bell tower in the middle of the facade facing the square attract attention. Of interest are sculptures of eight famous rulers of the Kingdom of Naples.
Inside you can see the Museum of Historic Apartments (Il museo appartamenti storici del Palazzo Reale), visit the National Library, and see a collection of paintings.
Here, in the palace, is the Umberto I Gallery ("Galleria Umberto I") with boutiques, fashion brands, restaurants. The Museum of Historic Apartments is famous for the Court Theater, the decoration of the Central Hall (Sala centrale), the Throne Hall (La sala del trono), the Hercules Hall (La Sala Di Ercole), the palace chapel (Cappella), which preserves treasures from various cathedrals and churches of Italy.
The National Library contains a unique collection of ancient texts on papyrus scrolls from Herculaneum (Ercolano) - the city that died during the eruption of Vesuvio (Vesuvio).
The collection includes paintings by Tiziano Vecellio, Guercino, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, Andrea Vaccaro, Mattia Preti, Spanoletto, Lo Spagnoletto, José de Ribera), Massimo Stanzione, Luca Giordano.
Opening hours and tickets
Museums in the palace are open daily from 9:00 to 20:00; day off - Wednesday. Ticket offices close at 19:00. An adult ticket costs 6 euros, for children under 18 years - 3 euros.
The attraction does not have an official website, but on the website of the Italian Ministry of Culture you can check up-to-date information on tickets in opening hours.
Free days in 2019: July 3 and 11, August 5, September 2 and 19.
How to get there
Palazzo Reale di Napoli is located on Piazza Plebiscito, conveniently reached on foot from Piazza Amedeo Metro Station.
Also from the Central Station to the palace there is a bus number R2 (stop San Carlo).
