For centuries the Piazza del Plebiscito square was an irregular public area on which festive occasions were celebrated
with the so-called “festive machines” which were designed by famous architects.
Then in 1817 Pietro Bianchi was called in to design the square and the project
was completed in 1846 in the latest neoclassical style on the model of the Pantheon
in Rome. Inside it has many statues and paintings dating back to that era and
a 17th century high altar, while there are also some paintings which came from
older
churches which once stood on the area. The equestrian statues of Charles III
Bourbon and Ferdinand I stand on the square opposite the basilica. The statue
of Charles II is created by Antonio Canova who also designed the horse Ferdinand is
riding while the statue of the king is the work of Antonio Calì. Traditionally
every year at Christmas an exhibition of contemporary art takes over the square,
with some of the more eccentric works giving rise to many a heated discussion.
Some of the artists who have exhibited works at this annual show are: Mimmo
Paladino, Richard Serra, Rebecca Horn and Luciano Fabro.
Neapolitans like to put tourists through their paces, subjecting them to a “game”
which consists of blindfolding them and making them walk across the area between
the two statues, which is a straight line. But the slight slope inevitably leads
the visitor to veer to one side and miss making it through the two statues.
And when the blindfold is removed the fun is guaranteed as the visitor finds he
has been stumbling around like someone lost in the desert.
The Reggia di Capodimonte in via Miano 1 is inside a park of the same name and is a handsome building
designed by the Roman architect Antonio Canevari for Charles Bourbon, King of
Naples. The building houses the National Capodimonte Art Gallery which is one
of the most important in Naples and can boast works by Giovanni Bellini, Sandro
Botticelli, Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci, Artemisia Gentileschi, Francisco Goya,
Simone Martini, Masaccio and Titian among others. In the Reggia’s beautifully
manicured and embellished gardens which has many wonderful plants and trees there
is also a hunting lodge and a ceramics museum.
The Naples Archaeological Museum (MANN) is one of the most important in the world both for the quality and the quantity
of works on display, most of which date back to the Greek and Roman periods.
The building itself, work on which started in 1585, is a striking architectonic
work and is one of Naples’ largest monumental edifices. The Museum is divided
into three-four parts: the Farnese Collection (artefacts from ancient Rome and its surrounding areas); the Pompeii Collections (artefacts from Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and other ancient sites in the
Vesuvius area which are part of the Bourbon collections); other artefacts from
minor collections which have been acquired by or donated to the Museum (the Borgia
Santangelo, Stevens, Spinelli collections etc.); and artefacts from excavations
carried out by the Naples and Caserta Archaeological Service (prehistoric, Cuman,
Pithecusae, Neapolis etc. services ) of which the Museum is a part.
The Real Teatro di San Carlo opera house, better known as the Teatro San Carlo is the most important theatre in Naples and one of the world’s most famous opera
houses. It is also the oldest European opera house and one of the most important
in Italy. It is listed as one of the UNESCO’s world heritage sites and has a
capacity of 3,000 spectators on five levels. It is shaped like a horseshoe and
has a splendid royal box, gallery and a stage which is some thirty-five metres
long.
The Castel Nuovo, better known as the Maschio Angioino, one of Naples' most symbolic monuments,
dominates the Piazza Municipio square. Seat of various organisations like the
Neapolitan Society for Italian History and the Institute of the History of the
Italian Risorgimento it also houses the City of Naples Civic Museum with the Palatine
Chapel and the first and second floor galleries.
Via San Gregorio Armeno is world famous for the many artisan shops which manufacture the figures for
Christmas cribs. These shops are open all year and anyone stepping into one is
immediately transported into a Christmas atmosphere. Traditionally at Christmas
every Neapolitan family visits “a San Gregorio Armeno”.
