National Archaeological Museum of Naples

History of the museum

The museum fills the large late-16th-century Palazzo degli Studi, once the university. In the 18th century King Charles of Bourbon inherited a vast collection of ancient sculpture from his mother, Elisabetta Farnese, just as excavations began at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Treasures from both were brought to Naples, creating one of the world's most important archaeological museums.

Today it holds what can't be left in the open: the most fragile frescoes, mosaics, bronzes, silver, everyday objects, coins and gems. That makes museum and sites a pair: at Pompeii you see the houses and streets, here what decorated them.

The Farnese collection

The ground floor holds the Farnese sculpture, found in Rome, mostly in the Baths of Caracalla. The star is the Farnese Hercules, a huge, weary hero leaning on his club, a Roman copy of an original by Lysippos. Beside it is the Farnese Bull, the largest sculptural group surviving from antiquity, several figures carved from a single block of marble.

Another celebrity is the Venus Callipyge, 'Venus of the beautiful buttocks', glancing over her shoulder. Neighbouring rooms hold imperial busts, statues of gods and marble reliefs.

What to see in the museum

• Farnese Hercules — the giant with his club.
• Farnese Bull — the largest ancient sculptural group.
• The Alexander Mosaic — from the House of the Faun at Pompeii.
• Pompeii and Herculaneum frescoes — gardens, myths, portraits.
• The model of Pompeii — a 19th-century scale model.
• Egyptian rooms — sarcophagi and figurines.
• The Farnese Cup — a famous ancient cameo.

Pompeii and Herculaneum in the museum

The mezzanine and upper floor hold the finds from the towns around Vesuvius. Mosaics from the House of the Faun include the huge Alexander Mosaic, showing Alexander the Great charging the Persian king Darius. Frescoes show gardens full of birds, myths, portraits of couples and still lifes of fruit and tableware.

Other rooms cover daily life: bronze tableware, jewellery, surgical instruments, scales and lamps. A large 19th-century model of Pompeii helps make sense of the town. Here too are the bronzes from Herculaneum's Villa of the Papyri: runners, dancers and philosophers.

The Egyptian rooms and gems

The basement holds the Egyptian collection, one of the oldest in Italy, begun in the 18th century, with sarcophagi, painted coffins, figurines of gods, amulets, papyri and everyday objects from the Nile valley. The rooms are small and quiet, a good break from the crowds around the big sculptures.

Upstairs, look for the room of carved gems from the Farnese collection. Its masterpiece is the Farnese Cup, a large sardonyx cameo with an allegory of the Nile and one of the most famous ancient cameos. Coins, silver tableware and jewellery are displayed nearby. Short on time? Mark four stops on the museum plan, Hercules, the Bull, the House of the Faun mosaics and the Pompeii frescoes, and see them in an hour and a half.

Tickets and tips

Buy tickets on site or on the official website; entry is free on the first Sunday of the month, with long queues. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. The rooms are large and some are often closed for restoration or rehanging, so check the website.

Start on the ground floor with the Farnese sculpture, then go up to the Pompeii mosaics and frescoes. Photos without flash are usually allowed. There's a café and a cloakroom for large bags.

Museums in Naples: compare and choose

Museums in Naples rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.

Nearby and on the way

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Cappella Sansevero

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Museo di Capodimonte

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Galleria Umberto I

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Castel Nuovo

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How to do it right

• Closed Tuesdays.
• Come here before Pompeii.
• Museo metro is at the door.
• Allow 2 to 3 hours.

Questions