Are you passing through Naples, the emblematic city of Italy? Discover the majestic Royal Palace of Naples, a must-see tourist site of the second largest Mediterranean city in Europe!
The Royal Palace of Naples is one of the best places to visit in Naples: this historic place, rich in a complex and fascinating history that you can discover below, is indeed one of the emblematic places of Neapolitan culture; he was one of the four royal residences in which the Bourbons during the two-Siciles kingdom.
It also serves as an architectural element symmetrically locking the superb Piazza del Plebiscito, facing the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola and its massive façade with neoclassical style.
To allow you to enjoy a cultural stop within this city too often reduced to its role as the birthplace of the Mafia, we have prepared a small guide that will allow you to visit the Royal Palace of Naples in all tranquility: a brief history, attractions and places to discover, access plan, rates, timetables and many other essential elements.
So what are we waiting for?
History of the Royal Palace of Naples
Photo credit: De Viacheslav Lopatin / Shutterstock.com
This palace was built at the beginning of the 17th century under the reign of the Spanish by the architect Domenico Fontana . He was one of the four royal residences of the Bourbons during their reign over the kingdom of the Two-Siciles, and was obviously profoundly modified over the centuries by the successive residents who knew the honor of living him. This is for example the case of Ferdinand I , husband of Marie-Caroline of Austria - the sister of Marie-Antoinette, who soon could not give head to a Paris in the middle of the Revolution...- who decided to extend the palace and to join the now famous court theatre.
But the palace was finally confined to a role of secondary residence by the couple before its decoration was deeply reworked, in a neo-classical style then in vogue in Europe, by the Murat-sister and brother-in-law of Napoleon I- who then reigned over the kingdom of Naples. We can find elements directly from this French heritage, with furniture and many elements reminding tourists who came to visit the Royal Palace of Naples the codes governing the typical style of the French palaces!
A victim of a fire during the 19th century, his restoration took almost twenty years and he then welcomed the sovereigns of Savoie. Humbert I Among them was the one who put in place, in the facade and after the unification of Italy, the busts representing the great rulers of the kingdom. In 1922, the Vittorio Emanuele III National Library, which was then installed in the Museum Palace, was established there.. before the bombings that marked the arrival of the Allied forces during the Second World War came to cause heavy damage to the Royal Palace of Naples, which thus suffered a complete restoration. It is this palace, perfectly rehabilitated, that the traveler can discover today!
What to see and do at the Royal Palace of Naples?
Photo credit: Flickr – Armando Mancini
The ideal is to visit the Royal Palace of Naples by borrowing a typical "circuit" drawn up by the administrators of the Royal Palace Historical Museum... since it finally became a Museum!
When you visit the Royal Palace of Naples, you must start by surveying the garden and courtyard aisles sublime. Once you get under the majestic palace door , we can discover the gigantic staircase of honor : a huge marble staircase of Carrare, which was built by Picchiatti in 1651 and symbolizing the royal power! Over the years, and especially in the nineteenth century, neo-classical elements were complemented by the Genoese, which helped to break the original austerity of the place by taking part in the installation of coloured marbles and mastics.
The visit continues with that of the splendid Court theatre , which was in fact a private room planned to welcome kings and dignitaries and entertain them. The decor is sumptuous and was, indeed, perfectly restored after the Second World War! Then, the apartments are accessible and it is possible to walk freely; They have remained like what, and have decorative elements that are expected to be found... in a palace: furniture, tapestries, master paintings, all in a rather overloaded mix of neo-baroque and neo-classical styles. We strongly recommend that you observe with the utmost attention the ceilings , real works of interior architecture.
Once you visit the apartments, you have to discover, during your journey in the Royal Palace of Naples, those of the King and Queen, which surround a small square courtyard! For the first, it is very clear that the influence of French occupants with the tapestries inherited from the taste of the Gobelins, as well as the very beautiful ceilings, including those of the spectacular antichambre , painted by the great master Francesco de Mura . Then we discover her throne room and that of the ambassadors: in the first, the massive throne impresses the visitor, while the second still offers an amazing spectacle for who can lift the head in order to admire the ceilings, truly splendid! ♪ Queen’s apartments are, they, richer still decorated and offered to the latter a splendid view of the Mediterranean Sea!
Palatine chapel closes the visit: in this very large chapel erected in the purest neo-classical style, one can discover a majestic altar and a large crèche of the eighteenth century.
How to go to the Royal Palace of Naples?
When you want to visit the Royal Palace of Naples, you must go through the demeasured piazza del Plebiscito at the edge of which this colossal building fits perfectly. Here we recognize the Italian taste for architectural geometry!
The palace is located in the heart of the tourist area of Naples - in fact, its historical heart - and thus a few hundred meters from the port. Its access is of extreme simplicity on foot , since most Neapolitan tourist sites are located nearby: in all cases, if you come by metro -the way, in our eyes, by far the simplest way to get to the place - you will have to borrow the line 1 and descend to the station "Municipio".
♪ taxis are present in mass but prices are totally random, it depends on your head and the driver... ♪ car rental , or in your own vehicle, parking is located on both sides and will allow you to park if, and only if, seats are available which can be difficult during the high tourist season!
Schedules & Rates of the Royal Palace of Naples
Photo credit: Flickr – kaysgeog
HORARI
The palace is open daily , except Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ; the boxes close, at 7 p.m., but reassure yourself: this one hour delay will allow you to visit the Royal Palace of Naples in its entirety.
RATES
For the price of the entry ticket, it is 6 € in full tariff, 3 € for the 18-24 years with identity documents and free for -18 years residents in one of the European Union countries. Admission is also free, each first Sunday of the month !
One. audio-guide may also be provided, upon arrival on site, at a rate of four euros.
Good to know.
- You'll have to plan about one hour to visit The Royal Palace of Naples.
- The city is known, worldwide, to be said, slightly excluded from the gallows of the Italian state... which means many works, a rather chaotic management of the Neapolitan city and rates that can evolve at any time, whether for public transport or for tourist sites. It doesn't necessarily bother the visit, but think about it!
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