Naples is one of the richest art cities in Europe, and not only inside its museums: statues, churches, courtyards and even metro stations are works to admire. We've spent more than one weekend following in the footsteps of the great artists who passed through here, and we'd like to share the route we liked best. Saturday is for the 17th century and Caravaggio, Sunday for the 18th century, the Renaissance and today's art.
Saturday morning: in the footsteps of Caravaggio
In 1606 Caravaggio arrived in Naples, on the run from Rome, and here he left works that changed the city's painting. Start at the Pio Monte della Misericordia, founded in 1602, in Piazza Riario Sforza along the decumanus maximus: above the high altar hangs the canvas of the Seven Works of Mercy, painted in 1607. Standing in front of that painting, in which the seven works intertwine in a night-time alley, we understood why Neapolitan painters were so overwhelmed by it. Upstairs, the picture gallery holds a large collection of paintings from the 16th to the 19th century.
Then head up to Capodimonte. The Capodimonte Museum holds the Flagellation of Christ, painted for a chapel in San Domenico Maggiore and displayed here since 1972. In the same rooms you'll find the painters Caravaggio influenced, from Jusepe de Ribera to Artemisia Gentileschi. Find out more in The Museum and Royal Park of Capodimonte.
Saturday afternoon: marble that looks like fabric
Back in the centre, step into the Sansevero Chapel. Its decorative programme was conceived in the 18th century by Prince Raimondo di Sangro, and the result is a concentrate of virtuosity: the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino, the veiled Modesty by Antonio Corradini and the Disillusion by Francesco Queirolo, with a net carved in marble. Read Visiting Naples: discover the Sansevero Chapel.
A few steps away, the majolica cloister of Santa Chiara, redesigned by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro between 1739 and 1742, shows another Neapolitan art: painted majolica, with scenes of everyday and country life. For the other churches in the centre, see Naples: churches and basilicas.
Sunday morning: the Baroque of the Certosa di San Martino
On Sunday take the funicular up to the Vomero. The Certosa di San Martino, founded in 1325, owes its Baroque appearance above all to Cosimo Fanzago, who worked there for more than thirty years, creating the marble decoration of the church and chapels. On the walls are canvases by Ribera, Luca Giordano and Massimo Stanzione: for us it's one of the most beautiful places in Italy. In the museum, don't miss the section devoted to the nativity scene, which we describe in The Neapolitan nativity scene.
Next door, at Castel Sant'Elmo, the Museo del Novecento tells the story of Neapolitan artists between 1910 and 1980: read The Museo del Novecento at Castel Sant'Elmo.
Sunday afternoon: the Renaissance and open-air statues
Head down towards the port to the Maschio Angioino. The marble triumphal arch between the entrance towers celebrates the entry into the city of Alfonso of Aragon and is one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance in southern Italy. Inside, the Museo Civico holds paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the 20th century: it's all in The Maschio Angioino.
Then the city itself becomes the museum. In Piazza del Plebiscito look at the equestrian statues of the Bourbon kings: the one of Charles of Bourbon is by Antonio Canova. Walking back up Via Toledo you reach Piazza Dante, with the hemicycle built by Luigi Vanvitelli between 1757 and 1765 and the statue of Dante unveiled in 1871.
Art in the metro and contemporary art
To get around, use Line 1: some of its stops are part of the Art Stations, a project curated by Achille Bonito Oliva. Toledo station, designed by Óscar Tusquets Blanca and opened in 2012, has mosaics by William Kentridge and the great cone of light rising towards the surface. Lovers of contemporary art should finish at MADRE, in Palazzo Donnaregina, with installations by Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons and Mimmo Paladino.
Getting there and when to go
Arrive by train at Napoli Centrale or by plane at Capodichino and get around by metro and funicular. Many museums close one day a week and some offer free admission on particular dates: check opening times and tickets on the official website before you go, and book the Sansevero Chapel in advance. An art weekend works in any season, but in summer the museums are a refuge from the heat.
Nearby
To broaden your view to the province, start with Naples and its surroundings. For the museums we haven't mentioned here, read What to visit in Naples, and for street art The murals of Naples. If you want to round off your trip with archaeology, you'll find everything in The National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN).
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