Villa Floridiana & Museo Nazionale della Ceramica Duca di Martina

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  • Address
    Via Domenico Cimarosa 77, Vomero
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  • Phone
    578 84 18
  • Transport
    underground rail: Vanvitelli
  • Museum Wed-Mon 08:30 - 14:00

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Lonely Planet review

Not one for understated gift giving, King Ferdinand I had the elegant Villa Floridiana and its stately gardens built for his second wife, the Duchess of Floridia. Purchased by the Italian government in 1919, the gardens were opened to the public and the villa turned into a ceramics museum. In a city short on space, the park is a soothing tonic of oaks, palms and terraces looking out over city and sea.

Sitting snugly at the bottom of the park in the Villa Floridiana, the Museo Nazionale della Ceramica Duca di Martina boasts a 6000-piece collection of European, Chinese and Japanese china, ivory, enamels and Italian majolica.

The Oriental collection, including Chinese Ming (1368-1644) ceramics and Japanese Edo (1615-1867) vases, is displayed in the basement, while upstairs on the ground floor you'll find Renaissance majolica pottery. Continue up to the 1st floor for European ceramics, which include sumptuous Meissen pieces.