Among the great art collections of the Renaissance and Baroque, the Farnese Collection holds a special place, and today its treasures are spread between Naples and Caserta. We suggest an itinerary from the Stories and characters series, by car, to be enjoyed over about four days.
A collection on the move
The collection was begun in the 16th century by Pope Paul III and grew under his grandson, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. Kept first in Rome and then in Parma, it arrived in Naples in 1737–1738 at the wish of Elisabeth Farnese, mother of Charles of Bourbon, who had inherited it. Initially housed in the Royal Palace, it was dispersed during the events of 1799 and, once recovered, displayed from 1815 in the Bourbon Museum. We like to remember that it includes masterpieces by Lombard, Venetian, Emilian, Tuscan and other European masters, such as Pieter Bruegel, and famous ancient sculptures such as the Apollo Citharoedus, the Farnese Antinous and the Venus Callipyge. Since 1957 the picture gallery has been at Capodimonte.
The stops on the itinerary
1. Capodimonte Museum and Royal Forest
The heart of the collection's paintings is here. The same museum also holds the d'Avalos Collection, with the tapestries of the Battle of Pavia.
👉 Place page: Capodimonte National Museum
2. National Archaeological Museum of Naples
Its origins are tied to Charles of Bourbon and his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony, both from families with a long tradition of collecting antiquities: the great Farnese ancient sculptures are on display here.
👉 Place page: National Archaeological Museum of Naples
3. Royal Palace of Caserta
The palace commissioned by Charles of Bourbon and designed by Luigi Vanvitelli, conceived to assert the prestige of the new sovereign before the rest of Europe.
👉 Place page: Royal Palace of Caserta
4. State Archives of Naples
Established in 1808, since 1845 it has been housed in the former monastery of Santi Severino e Sossio. It holds the records of the Kingdom's institutions and important monastic archives.
5. Royal Palace of Naples
The collection's first home when it arrived in the city: many of the palace's furnishings came from the Farnese collection.
👉 Place page: Royal Palace of Naples
Useful information
- Recommended transport: car
- Duration: 4 days
- Type: stories and characters, 5 stops
Source: Regione Campania – Ecosistema digitale per la cultura
