Naples Museums
• A WorldWeb.com Travel Guide to Museums in Naples, NA, Campania.
Carthusian Monastery of San Martino (Certosa di San Martino) & National Museum of San Martino
Originally a 14th century Carthusian monastery, by the 17th century the church had fallen into disrepair. Resurrected in the baroque style, the church became a museum, and now houses a collection of china, porcelain and silver from the 18th and 19th centuries. Some say, however, the greatest find just may be the view from the balconey.
National Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale)
Early in the 1600s, the building that now acts as Naples' National Archaeological Museum was the city's university. It now houses an important collection of artifacts including Farnese precious gems, sculptures from the ill-fated Pompeii and ancient Egyptian art. Look for the decapitated Venus.
National Museum & Gallery of the Capodimonte (Museo e Gallerie Nazionale di Capodimonte)
Both a museum and a gallery, one of the National Museum & Gallery of the Capodimonte's most precious possessions is a painting called the Crucifixion by the young Italian artist Masaccio, who may have known he would himself die young by the strength of his provoking depiction. There are more works by Renaissance artists Boticelli, Raphael and Lippi. Housed in the 18th century Capodimonte Palace, the museum also has seven intricate Flemish tapestries on display.
