Itineraries experience.

Few cities can boast a historic and artistic heritage as rich as that of Naples. The "Neapolis", the "new city", was founded by the Greeks a few kilometers from the town of Partenope around the 8th century B.C. For centuries the city was subjected to numerous invasions and military occupations. Conquered by the Byzantines, dominated by the Normans, ruled by Spain, Austria and the Bourbons, Naples, nevertheless, enjoyed periods of great economic and cultural development, the traces of which can be found in the ancient streets of the historic center and in Naples' museums, where best to discover the history of this fascinating Southern Italian city.

Occupying the Palazzo Reale, which was designed for Charles III of Bourbon to house the artworks left to him by his mother, Elisabetta Farnese, Queen consort of Spain, the National Museum of Capodimonte, is Naples' most important museum complex. Caravaggio's "Flagellation of Christ", Titian's "Danae" and Andrea Mantegna's "Portrait of Francesco Gonzaga" hang here.

Just steps away from the central Piazza Dante, in the Palazzo, former home of Don Pedro Giron (viceroy of Naples from 1582 to 1586), the National Archaeological Museum houses one of the world's most important collections of Roman and Greek antiquities, including the treasures of Pompei, sculptures from Herculaneum's Villa dei Papiri, and the votive niches from Paestum, as well as artworks once belonging to the Farnese, Santangelo, Stevens and Borgia families.

Situated in the Aragonese Castle of Baia, the Archaeological Museum of Campi Flegrei contains artefacts from the Temple of the Augustali, the Nympheum of Punta Epitaffio (found during underwater excavation work), and the "Gessi di Baia": fragments of plaster casts dating back to Roman times. The plaster casts were used by local sculptors who specialized in creating marble copies of Greek statues to decorate the villas of the Roman nobility.

The Charterhouse of San Martino, is one of the finest examples of Neapolitan baroque architecture. Painstaking restoration work has brought the monastery's exquisite marble panelling, wood carvings, frescos and floor mosaics back to their original splendour. The museum, located in what were once the living quarters of the prior and the monks' cells, houses numerous paintings and sculptures, including landscapes by Van Wittel, and a superb collection of 19th century Neapolitan paintings.

Dominating the hill of Vomero, Castel Sant'Elmo, is the city's most prominent landmark. Built in 1329 by Roberto d'Angiò, in 1537 the castle was enlarged to become one of the most modern fortresses of its time, and the pride of Naples' defence system. Extensive restoration work was initiated in 1976. The vast Piazza d'Armi complete with officers' lodgings, the 16th century church, the large internal halls, and the ramparts overlooking the Bay of Naples are now open to visitors.

On the Riviera di Chiaia, the majestic Villa Pignatelli has been transformed into the Museum of Prince Diego Aragona Pignatelli Cortes. Constructed in 1826, the Villa was inhabited by a string of aristocratic families including the Acton, Rothschild and Pignatelli. In 1955, the Pignatelli donated the villa, complete with all its furnishings and artworks, to the Italian State.