One of Naples' crowning museums, the artifacts here complement a visit to Pompeii in the same trip,…read moresince the collections span archaeological finds from Pompeii, Rome and beyond. From sculpture, sacred and funerary objects, mosaics, paintings, household items and furniture, to architectural models and decorative elements, there's plenty of intriguing objects to pique various interests. On a grey Sunday morning in April, I arrived at 10am, and was glad I didn't come later! There were two lines, one for those purchasing tickets at the entry and those with pre-booked tickets online in advance. The latter was a fairly short line, maybe about 10 people, while the former was about 20ish. When I left a couple hours later both lines had more than doubled in length. Inside, the exhibit halls begin with sculptures unearthed during archaeological finds, with the direction of visit encircling one of the smaller inner courtyards. They do an excellent job of providing Italian and English translations for didactic labels and descriptions, and I was able to learn much about a) the background and provenance of sculptures and other finds, b) key figures in archaeological excavations which discovered many of the pieces now housed here, and c) the history of this museum. The route of visit continues to a columned hall with some waiting area seating and contemporary local art pieces, (apparently where school groups rest before touring the museum with docents), which lead up a pair of curved stone staircases where you can look upwards at a central dome. On the second floor highlights include a collection of watercolor works from watercolorist Luigi Bazzani, who captured colorful paintings of Pompeii at the turn of the 20th century, a collection of elaborate furniture, and many rooms of artifacts from steles, ceramics, blown glass and tableware. Many colorful wall paintings found in villas and homes were transferred from archaeological sites to this museum. There's a curious collection of erotic art from antiquity called the Secret Cabinet* too. Unfortunately both these sections were closed: a) the mosaic floor where they previously allowed visitors to enter wearing cloth covers over shoes, and b) the sprawling mini replica of Pompeii that looked to be at least 12 x 15 feet. The latter I glimpsed thru a walkway that was cordoned off. The Sundial Hall, named after (you guessed it) a functional sundial installed in the SW corner of the room, was one of the most impressive rooms in the museum, originally serving as the Bourbon** Royal Library of Naples, then later as the National Library. The beautifully restored ceiling fresco depicts the Bourbon royalty as patrons of the arts. Among the most famous group of objects here are items from the Farnese Collection, begun by then Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (1468-1549), who later became Pope Paul III. Theses works were displayed in various settings notably the Farnese palace, villa and gardens in Rome, then subsequently passed down to descendants. Farnese Hercules, Farnese Artemis, the Farnese Bull and the Farnese Cup are all sublimely sculpted pieces. The total time recommended is easily 2.5-3 hours, additional if you want to read more of the placards. Free lockers, coat check and bathrooms are available. Admission is €20.00 for regular tickets, €2.00 for 18-25 year olds, free for teachers, disabled and those with certain city passes including Artecard and Naples Pass. Hours: 9.00 am - 7.30 pm with last entry at 6.30 pm Closed Tuesdays. *did not post these pics as I didn't want to get flagged for posting explicit content! lol **Bourbon as in the royal dynasty that ruled southern Italy from 1734 until 1860. Not the whisky made with a higher percentage of corn from the southern United States. =)

Phenomenal collection of ancient artifacts. The museum is…read morehuge! It was a bit too hot to make it through the entire museum.

Visited in April 2026, and was really blown away by the detail in the marble sculptures. The way…read morethe sheerness of the fabric captured all the folds and wrinkles over the forms of the Christ and Modesty sculptures was stunning. My mind can't even begin to comprehend how Genoese sculptor Francesco Queirolo carved the life-like roped fishing net texture and structure draped over the two human figures out of solid stone for Disillusion. He certainly was a virtuoso in this art form. The other statues in the room were incredibly elaborate and detailed as well. As other reviews have mentioned, the chapel has a strict no photography policy, there are multiple security guards posted around this room and they watch with hawk eyes so don't even try. The "anatomical machines" portion of the exhibit was two open bodies one male, one female, preserved for scientific study, showing possibly the most complete real life version of the human cardiovascular system including veins and arteries. Fascinating, though could present an ick factor for those that aren't into seeing explicit internal organs. Open daily 9am-7pm except Tuesdays. Regular admission is €12.00 for adults, €6-8 for students, handicapped, youth 10 yrs and over. Free admission to 9 yrs and under. Audio guides are available for an additional €3.50 fee. Regular admission feels steep for essentially access to 1.5 rooms, given the amount of people, had to dock a star. A lot of info available on their website below, I don't think you need the audio guide if you can read thru the descriptions in advance, though cell service isn't great inside, so wouldn't recommend trying access it live. https://www.museosansevero.it/en

Visited May 20, 2022. Booked tickets online. Great small museum. Don't worry if you don't score a…read moreticket online. There seemed to be a short line for those who didn't have tickets. The highlights are the Veiled Christ, Modesty & Disillusioned. It really was something else to see that kind of artistry with marble. Be sure to go downstairs and check out the 2 anatomical studies which display all the veins in a human body.

A very small art museum We only spent 1/2 hour here. As with all modern art museums, you will some…read morepieces you like and some you hate. But, they do make you think.

Madre, Naples' sole contemporary art museum, won't be to everyone's liking. Three in my party…read moreenjoyed the experience; one did not. I was in the majority but I come with bias, harboring an affinity for contemporary art while knowing full well that this is not what anyone comes to Naples to experience. Certainly not among the best of contemporary art museums, Madre spans 3 floors and much of what's on display can be walked through quite quickly. A few things with English write-ups below them caused me to stop and linger but many more things caused me to walk on by while observing. Truth be told, you could be in and out of here quite easily inside of an hour if you don't slap on headphones to listen to something or pause to see if what's written is of interest to you. Madre is an "ok" museum that's maybe worth a visit if you're in the area with nothing else on your calendar.

Constructed in 1279, and for centuries the Royal residence of Naples' kings into the 16th century,…read morethe gothic exterior of this massive fortress with five towers is a magnificent reminder of Napoli's medieval history and maritime prowess, with an entrance over the largest man-made moat I've seen. Arriving at 5pm on a weekday afternoon, I scrambled (ie. speed walked for half a mile) to make it before their assigned last entry time, which I thought was 5pm for a 6pm closing time, though apparently it's last entry at 5:30pm. Well...I got an extra workout. There's a small ticket window to the left inside the main doors, which takes cash or card, and can also validate your city/museum pass (I had a Naples Pass). Regular admission is €15, tickets for local residents €10, free for children under 18. However because of ongoing renovations to major sections, they were offering reduced admissions of €10 and €6 respectively. Inside what's available to view as of mid-April 2026 are several components. To me each stands alone and feels a bit disjointed to the others, though given its lengthy history and different functions over time perhaps the range of spaces truly embodies the story of the castle, one embued with varied relevance and purpose. - Palatine Chapel: an austere chapel with stone block floors, inset with ledger stones.* - Archaeological route and former Armory room: this is where the ruins can be viewed below a glass floor--of what's believed to be past of a lavish Roman villa from 1st century BCE beneath the castle. Tours need to be pre-booked in advance if you want to descend to the underground level to visit these. - Hall of the Barons: this is the kind of grand hall I'd imagine medieval royalty to preside over, with a massive octagonal star-shaped arched stone ceiling and central round skylight, though it was actually a later construction in the 15th century. The layout includes a U-shaped wooden seating arrangement where the current Napoli city council meets. - Chapel of the Souls of Purgatory: single room with entrance off the courtyard to the right of the entrance to the Palantine Chapel, the frescos are colorful though space is small. - First floor Civic Museum - Art Gallery: this is up a flight of steps (aka the second floor for those of us across the pond), a gallery of about 50 works ranging from 15-18th century religious Neapolitan art, transferred here from other historic buildings that are no longer in use. - terrace on second floor with partial view of the port: I was a little disappointed since I thought the roof of the castle would be accessible though I'm glad I didn't rush here on my first day in Naples and instead went to Monte Echia nearby where the views were much better, more panoramic. It took about 30 minutes to walk around the parts that were open, there are more extensive galleries on the upper stories that were under renovation. I felt it made sense to reduce the price since some portions were closed. For more info: https://www.comune.napoli.it/vivere-il-comune/luoghi/castel-nuovo-maschio-angioino/#orari_apertura https://www.naplesinsider.com/en/e/castel-nuovo-maschio-angioino *an inscribed stone slab usually laid into the floor of a church to commemorate or mark the place of the burial of a deceased person. (as per Wikipedia)

Castel Nuovo was one giant construction site when we were here…read more Of course, it's been under construction for nearly nine hundred years. From Charles I House of Anjou, to the Kingdom of the two Sicily's (1266), to the Kingdom of Naples. It was also used by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, who lived there for a short time in 1535. But no Italian history would've complete, without the involvement of de' Medici family of Florence. Seemed Alfonso V of Aragon (1443), had established a royal court here after conquered the throne of Naples and as with most little boys, he needed his to be, er um...grander. He intended for the Castel Nuovo to compete with the one in Florence by Lorenzo de' Medici. Ultimately he ended up completely rebuilding the entire fortress. A famous architect friend once observed to me, that it's important to be able to distinguish between "good" and "better." LOL The castle is very imposing. It has five huge turret like towers, that can be seen throughout Naples. Our driver couldn't figure out how to drop us off because of all traffic on Via Nuova Marina, so we settled for the nearby Galleria Umberto mall (see review) instead. LOL. See photos.

Naples isn't Florence, Venice, or Rome and nothing could have screamed that louder than Certosa e…read moreMuseo di San Martino, a diamond in the rough. Located at the very top of the Vomero district and sitting beside the imposing Castel Sant'Elmo, the Museo di San Martino does little to outwardly win your heart. Here, you need to work to reveal the wow factor. Immediately after paying the entry fee I walked into a tired-looking courtyard. As one of the first things you encounter, it's easy to wonder what you've gotten yourself into. Next you'll wonder how to find the treasures talked about on the audio guide you rented. Pro tip: don't bother renting the audio guide, something I rarely say. Next up is a beautiful church, classic Italian, ornate and lovely. Friends I was with walked from here through another building, then out to the gardens. I'm not sure what's happened since some of the photos posted here on yelp, but it was impossible to walk through the gardens thinking anything other than "how hard would it be to pull some weeds?" The garden is a lovely stroll with beautiful views but majorly unkempt. So look a little harder. It wasn't until I began wandering off the beaten path here that I discovered riches. Naples is known for their hand-carved nativity scenes, assembled by locals at the start of December. Here, you'll find the best of that genre, featuring entire city scenes, flying angels, babies, toddlers, water features, the poor and unbathed... the list goes on. One of the things Neopolitans are quick to tell about their nativity scenes is how realistic the figures are. That is: the people are not made to look like models. They feature the faces of the the needy, the unattractive, those generally not featured in the arts from this time, making the scenes all the more interesting. Anyhow, there's a heavenly assortment of nativity-scapes here including a huge one that goes dark and then brightens to daylight. This section is a must-see. There's tons of other ancient (circa the 1500's) sculptures here as well as some fabulous views of Mount Vesuvius. There was honestly more to see here than I even saw. In the end, despite Museo di San Martino not being a place that screams "see me", it is.

This place is nothing short of awesome. It used to be a monastery and sits right next to Castel St…read moreElmo. In a way it has been turned into a museum, but there is still much of it that is reflective of the former monastery. I actually discovered this place completely by accident, namely because I was looking for the entrance to the Castel and ended up walking in here instead. Needless to say the old monastery part of this, especially the religious art that covered the walls, was nothing short of mind blowing. Mind you, it can be easy to get lost in here, however once you find your way into the courtyard, the serenity of the place literally washes over you.

Look to spend at least four hours walking through and reading up on some of the most eye catching…read moredisplays. If your smartphone has the space and your cell network has the reception, I suggest downloading their museum app guide. On the business side, it's a great idea that they offer this instead of providing headsets and hand carry narratives. So, good luck if you're a foreigner with an outside network ;) The exhibits during my visits were awesome. I enjoyed the sculptures and contemporary art most. There are thousands of paintings and they were beautiful as well. I found the stitch work the most impressive. They look like rugs... These are ginormous and span an entire wall with high ceilings. Each of them tell a story. But the details are what captured me most. Strong reccomendation anyway, to take time for any museum and learn something you never knew. Plus in this museum, you gotta check out the outside view from the second level!

This is worth the travel to get to it. Allow a full day and why not take a picnic for the gardens?…read moreNaples is quite unique in that it hasn't actually been part of Italy that long (historically speaking) and has been an independent principality a number of times and has been under the 'control' of both Christians and Muslims at different times. The Capodimonte family are one of the great families of Naples and the house and gardens are tributes to their vision. The décor inside the house is exquisite.

A church related museum. It's actually very nice and the pieces here are pretty amazing overall!…read more However, it's not very large and for 12 Euros you would think it would be a little bigger. Still, a pleasant experience and still worth going to at least once.

This was a cute, small museum that was interesting to see…read more They had a good amount of religious art and artifacts from the city of Naples. Silver, gold and other gems encrust crosses, picture frames and religious regalia throughout the centuries of the catholic religion in this Italian city. It was only 3 euros and perfect for this small, but interesting spot.

Completed in 1324, Basilica San Domenico Maggiore resides near "Spaccanapoli" in the historic…read morecenter of Naples, and containing both an older church plus a monastery nicely represents the Gothic style with well preserved works of art and tremendous detailing throughout its fairly small interior.