Palazzo Reale

Lonely Planet review

Former downtown royal pad, this large palace was built around 1600. Envisaged as a monument to Spanish glory (Naples was under Spanish rule at the time), it was designed by local architect Domenico Fontana and completed two long centuries later in 1841.

A double staircase leads to the royal apartments which house the Museo del Palazzo Reale, a rich and eclectic collection of baroque and neoclassical furnishings, porcelain, statues and paintings.

First stop at the top of the stairs is the Teatrino di Corte (1768), a lavish private theatre created by Ferdinando Fuga to celebrate the marriage of Ferdinand IV and Marie Caroline of Austria. Incredibly, Angelo Viva's statues of Apollo and the Muses set along the walls are made of papier-mâché.

Sala XIII used to be Joachim Murat's study in the 19th-century but was used as a snack bar by Allied troops in WWII.

The Cappella Reale (Royal Chapel) houses a colossal 18th-century presepe (nativity scene). Impressively detailed, its cast of wise men, busty peasants and munching mules were crafted by a series of big-name Neapolitan artists.

The palace also houses the Biblioteca Nazionale (National Library), which includes at least 2000 papyruses discovered at Herculaneum and fragments of a 5th-century Coptic Bible. Bring ID or miss out.