PALAZZO REALE

The royal palace was built from 1600 onwards by the architect Domenico Fontana for the Spanish viceroy Fernandez Ruiz de Castro. Enlarged several times, it was partially refurbished by Luigi Vanvitelli in the ^mid-18th century. It successively hosted the courts of the Spanish viceroys, the Bourbons of Naples, Joachim Murat, King of Naples between 1808 and 1815, and the King of Italy. Each dynasty imprinted its own style, reflecting the fashions and customs of the time. Transferred to the State in 1919, the palace has been converted into a museum complex, with a wing housing the National Library. Admission includes the Museo della Fabbrica, the Royal Apartments and the Museo Caruso. A supplement of €2 is charged for visits to the hanging gardens.

Next to the ticket office, the Museo della Fabbrica is a good introduction to the visit. It summarizes the history and various construction phases of the building, with ^19th-century models, old painted representations of the palace and piazza, and a section devoted to the destruction of the Second World War.

TheAppartamento di Etichetta is accessed via the monumental Carrara marble grand staircase. In 1729, Montesquieu described it as "the most beautiful staircase in Europe". Upstairs, the court theater was built in 1768 for the wedding of King Ferdinand de Bourbon to Marie-Caroline of Austria (sister of French Queen Marie-Antoinette). Next come the king's and queen's apartments, with a succession of rooms featuring painted and stuccoed ceilings and marble floors, decorated with furniture, tapestries, paintings, ^18th-19th century clocks and other period objects, some of which Joachim Murat "borrowed" from the Tuileries in Paris. The royal chapel and a Neapolitan crib round off the visit to the piano nobile.

Inaugurated in July 2023, the Museo Caruso pays homage to the tenor Enrico Caruso, a native of Naples, world-renowned for his innovative vocal technique and whose international career helped bring recognition to his art. The archives on display highlight the genius of the tenor who took advantage of the rise of the gramophone to spread his exceptional voice, and music more widely, to as many people as possible.

Created in the ^mid-17th century, the hanging garden today features a harmonious combination of flower beds and gazebos, with marble furnishings and checkerboard paving on the terrace. It offers a splendid view of the Bay of Naples.