Campania
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

The Aragonese Castle in Baia, Italy, has a rich history.  The hill on which it was built, over-looking the gulf of Baia,  had a Roman residential complex, thought by some to have been the villa of Caesar. Construction of the castle began in 1495 by the Aragonese, shortly before the invasion of the area by the French. Over the centuries, the castle was expanded, fortified, and restored by various rulers, and had many function, from a military fortress, a prison for WW2 prisoners of war, a military orphanage. Since 1984 the castle has been home to the Museo archeologico dei Campi Flegrei.

In 1738 King Charles of Bourbon ordered the construction of the Royal Palace that today houses the Museum. It was initially founded as a hunting reserve, but ended up becoming one of the residences of the royal family, in which part of the Farnese Collection was exhibited from the very beginning. Already in the 18th century it was an obligatory stop for visitors to Italy, given the importance of the works on display. The Museum, opened on 5 May 1957, is one of the most important picture galleries in Europe, and houses in its 124 galleries numerous works by great names such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio and Titian. In addition to these are extraordinary collections of porcelain and decorative arts, tapestries and royal furniture, as well as Roman sculpture.

The six-pointed star shaped plan of the castle we see today is from a 16th century reconstruction during the Aragonese rule of Naples. The earliest record of a fortification here dates to 1275 during the Angevin rule of Naples. The castle was then known as Belforte. It remained a military property until 1976, when it was handed to the city of Naples and has housed administrative offices, with parts transformed into exhibition galleries. For example, the parade ground houses the Novecento Museum in Naples, which exhibits a permanent collection of art created since 1910 by Neapolitan artists.

Founded in the 8th century BC, Cumae was the first colony settled by the Greeks in mainland Italy. It went on to become a wealthy Roman city. The archaeological area is vast, and currently only the acropolis is open to visitors – which includes such features as Sibyl’s Cave, the Byzantine Tower, the upper and lower terraces. Lower sections of the site are being excavated, and these are only open to the public during special event days. Artefacts recovered from excavations here can be seen in the archaeological museum of the Campi Flegrei in the Aragonese castle.

The Flavian Amphitheatre in Pozzuoli is said to be the third largest Roman amphitheatre in Italy. Constructed during the first century AD, the amphitheatre is remarkably well preserved, with an interior that is mostly intact. Parts of the gears that were used to lift animal cages up on to the level of the arena can still be seen here. It is thought that this particular amphitheatre was built by the same architects that built the Colosseum in Rome – which was also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre.

The ancient city of Herculaneum, buried under 30 metres of ash and volcanic material in the eruption of 79 AD, was brought to light in 1738 under the reign of Charles of Bourbon. Excavations of the site were extremely demanding and concentrated on the area that once overlooked the sea. The visit allows you to move between the ancient streets on which the various craft and commercial activities opened, and the entrances to the domus. Some places such as the Palestra, which remains partly buried and accessible through a gallery, or the College of the Augustales, in which painted scenes of the myth of Hercules survive.

A fascinating hour and a half tour of 2,400 years of Naples’ history as seen through the underground tunnels. The first part of the tour explores various underground tunnels, from the time of the ancient Greeks to more recent developments in the city. See the hypogeum garden, with plants grown only with artificial light; the Underground War Museum with uniforms and artefacts from Nazi soldiers and Italian Resistance fighters. After emerging from the tunnels and then entering another basement, you get to see the remains of the Roman theatre. ‘Napoli Sotterranea’ is the official underground authorised tour, and it really is essential to book in advance.

The Paestum archaeological area covers an area of about 27 hectares – the ancient city of Poseidonia. The site is most well known for the three large Doric temples – among the best preserved in the Mediterranean. A tour of the site reveals architecture from the Greek, Lucanian Roman periods of the settlement. From the Doric temples to the Roman forum and amphitheatre. The celebrated painted tombs of the Lucanian tombs can be seen in the museum over the road from the site. A standard ticket to the archaeological area, includes other sites in the area as well as the museum, and lasts for three days.

The first church built on the site in the 5th century AD was an open basilica. From the early 16th century through to the early 18th century the area was described as desolate, with banditry and poverty endemic. The church was in a very poor physical state, often used as a stable or to house bandits. In the mid 1700s the church was restored, and a minor palace built adjacent for the Bishop’s residence – still standing. Restoration work in the 20th century revealed the Classical columns running down the length of the nave, with ornate Corinthian capitals now visible.

The archaeological site of Pompeii is one of the most well-known and much visited sites in the world. Pompeii was a Roman city that was buried under four to six metres of volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The site has been a tourist destination for about 250 years, and today over 2.5 million people visit each year making this one of the most popular attractions in Italy. For conservation reasons, only a fraction of the site is open to the public – but there is still much to see of the Roman city, including theatres, the amphitheatre, the forum, bath houses and residences with exquisite wall paintings.

The modern-day town of Santa Maria Capua Vetere is the location of the ancient city of Capua. Although the ancient features of the city relate to the Roman and medieval periods, the area was occupied as far back as the Bronze Age. Because of the town’s wealth and beauty, Cicero referred to Capua as Altera Roma – the second Rome. Remaining Roman features include the amphitheatre and Hadrian’s Arch. There are two local museums: Museo Archeologico Campano and Museo Archeologico dell’Antica Capua.

King Charles of Bourbon commissioned the architect Luigi Vanvitelli to design a residence that would surpass the Palace of Versailles in beauty. The foundation stone was laid on 20 January 1752, and it was completed in 1845. It was here on 29 April 1945 that German forces in Italy and Austria signed the ‘Surrender of Caserta.’ Inside, all the rooms that hosted the royal family and animated court life can be visited, such as the Apartments, the Throne Room, the Theatre, the Palatine Chapel and the Royal Staircase, while outside, visitors can stroll and relax in the vast, well-kept gardens.

At the beginning of the 17th century, Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, due to the imminent visit of King Philip III of Habsburg to Naples, began construction of the new Royal Palace, entrusting the architect Domenico Fontana with the project. King Charles of Bourbon chose it in 1734 as his royal residence, and it was only in 1858 that the palace was given its final appearance. The visit allows you to explore the different rooms of the Royal Apartments, such as the Court Theatre, the Chapel and the Throne Room, reached via the Staircase of Honour, which Montesquieu described as the most beautiful in Europe.

The origins of the Chapel date back to 1613, when it was erected at the behest of Alessandro di Sangro, while its current appearance is due to Raimondo di Sangro, seventh prince of Sansevero, who conceived the entire iconographic design. The space, consisting of a single nave, houses funerary sculptures dedicated to the family’s ancestors in the side chapels, while the sculptural groups leaning against the pillars are dedicated to the women of the family, representing the various virtues. The complex is a concentration of Neapolitan Baroque, rich in symbolism and detail, and one of the most important museums in Naples. It houses the ‘Veiled Christ’, a sculpture by Giuseppe Sanmartino, which is the most famous masterpiece among the Chapel’s many works.

In the centre of a block of 15th century houses in the historic part of Naples are the remains of a Roman theatre. These are not accessible to the public, but it is possible to visit those parts of the ancient theatre that are now in the basement of these buildings. A tour of the remnants of the Theatre of Nerone is added on to the authorised underground tour of Naples, Napoli Sotterranea. It is not the best example of a Roman theatre you will visit, but interesting nonetheless; there are claerly visible features that show it was a theatre. And a visit is included in the underground tour, which is a must.

Velia was a major city of Magna Graecia, and one of two that are in the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park – the other being Paestum. The Cliento region was at the boundary between the indigenous Etruscan and Lucanian peoples to the north and the Greek colonies that made up Magna Graecia. Numerous remains of the ancient city are preserved, including a theatre, roads, and the city walls and gates. Bricks and stone from the early Greek buildings were later re-used by the Roman and medieval communities. Visitors can take a self guided tour of the main features of the city.