Naples National Archaeological Museum

At a glance

Naples National Archaeological Museum facts that matter

Names, makers, dates, and context before the story opens up.

Italian name	Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
What it is	Museum
Where	Naples, Campania
Known for	The Farnese collection and archaeological material from the Vesuvian towns.

The story

What you're looking at

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples brings together the Farnese collection with relics from the Vesuvian towns excavated after Vesuvius’s eruption of 79 CE. Its present building was first royal cavalry barracks and then the University of Naples before opening as the Real Museo Borbonico in 1816.

A Bourbon-era museum whose two core collections connect Renaissance collecting with the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Verified details

Each statement below is linked to the record or institution that supports it.

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples brings together two core collections: the Farnese collection and relics from the Vesuvian towns excavated after the 79 CE eruption.¹

The present building was first erected as royal cavalry barracks at the end of the sixteenth century, housed the University of Naples from 1616 to 1777, and officially opened as the Real Museo Borbonico in 1816. It was renamed National Museum in 1860.¹

The museum lies within the UNESCO World Heritage property Historic Centre of Naples, inscribed in 1995 under criteria (ii) and (iv). It is not separately inscribed.²

Sources and citations (2)

Museo Archeologico Nazionale di NapoliMuseum’s historyMuseum history openingRead source
UNESCO World Heritage CentreHistoric Centre of NaplesProperty header and criteriaRead source

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