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Palazzo Reale
The Royal Palace in Naples
Palazzo RealePiazza del Plebescito 1
tel. +39-081-580-8111
www.palazzorealenapoli.it
Open Thurs–Tues 9am–8pm
Adm
TOURS OF NAPLES:
Tours of Naples itself:
• Naples City and Pompeii Half Day Sightseeing Tour
• Naples City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
• Small Group Naples City Sightseeing Tour
Tours to Pompeii & Vesuvius:
• Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii Day Trip from Naples
• Pompeii Half-day Trip from Naples
• Naples City and Pompeii Half Day Sightseeing Tour
• Mt Vesuvius Half-Day Trip from Naples
Tours to the Amalfi Coast or Capri:
• Private tour of Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello from Naples
• Capri Day Trip with Lunch from Naples
ReidsItaly.com Naples Map
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Tours & Activities
Naples' royal palace had to be restructured following Allied bomb damage in 1943, but retains some sumptuous royal apartments and, in niches along the 18th-century facade, statues of the greatest kings from the eight dynasties that have ruled Naples.
That's right: eight dynasties. Not counting ancient Greece and Rome, Naples has been part of many kingdoms over the past 1,000 years, ruled by many kings: Roger, (Norman—modern day France), Frederick II (Swabian—modern German) Charles I (Angevin—France again), Alfonso (Aragonese—modern Spain), Charles V (Austrian), Charles III (Bourbon—France again),Joachim Murat (French Napoleonic), and finally Vittorio Emanuele II (Savoy—which is to say, France—though ultimately King of Italy as well).
Construction on the palazzo was started by court engineer Domenico Fontana in 1599 under the viceroy Ruiz de Castro, who wished to create one of the most glorious palaces in Spanish king Philip III's kingdom.
The core was finished by 1616, but in 1759 Ferdinando Fuga was brought in by Ferdinand IV to amplify the palazzo with such lovely additions as the ornate Teatro do Corte, built on the occasion of the king's wedding to Maria Carolina of Hapsburg (Marie Antoinette's sister) and decorated with papier-mâché sculpture.
Also here are preserved 15th-century bronze doors from the Castel Nuovo whose reliefs tell of Ferdinand of Aragon's feuds with the local barons (the cannonball jutting out of the bottom of one door is a testament to the battle waged by the French and Genoese navies in Naples' harbor).
Sheets of paper describe each palatial room and its contents in English.
Be sure not to miss the elaborate Throne Room, or Belsario Corenzio's ceiling frescoes in several chambers that depict the Glories of the Spanish Monarchy.
Tips
- Planning your day: The Royal Palace will eat up about an hour of your day.
Related pages
- Piazza Plebescito (out front)
- More museums in Naples
- Other sights in Naples (the center, the waterfront, the hills)
- Hotels in Naples
- Restaurants in Naples
- Naples FAQ
- Naples homepage
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This material was last updated August 2010. All information was accurate at the time.
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