The best things to do in Naples

Website: parconazionaledelvesuvio.it

4. Visit one of the world’s great archaeological museums

If you only visit one museum in Naples, make it the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, among the world’s foremost collections of ancient art and artefacts. Much of the collection was amassed by King Ferdinand I and his grandmother Elisabetta Farnese and later enriched by findings from the excavations at Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae. Improvements in layout, lighting and labelling mean that the museum is more visitor-friendly these days, but rooms are inclined to close at short notice due to staffing problems.

There’s enough here to keep you engaged for a whole day, but if time is limited, stick to the highlights. The ground-floor rooms showcase early sculpture, mostly Roman copies of Fifth-Century BC Greek originals. You can’t miss the Tyrannicidi (tyrant-killers) Armodios and Aristogitones, the monumental Ercole Farnese and the equally powerful Toro Farnese. On the mezzanine floor is the Gabinetto Segreto, an eye-popping stash of ancient pornography including explicit paintings and sculptures that was only opened to the general public in 2000. Adjacent rooms hold a series of dazzling mosaics from Pompeii and Herculaneum, along with glassware, silver and wall paintings from the same sites. Bronzes and more wall paintings are the draw on the second floor and include the celebrated pair of bronze athletes, poised for flight.

Address: Piazza Museo, 19, 80135 Napoli NA, Italy
Website: museoarcheologiconapoli.it

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5. Head to Capodimonte for art and fresh air

Once a royal hunting ground, the Reale Bosco di Capodimonte (one of Europe’s largest urban spaces) is laid out on a hill a couple of miles north of the centro storico, a cool, green retreat from the city heat and crowds. King Carlo III built a magnificent scarlet palace here in 1738, which today houses the Museo di Capodimonte and its superlative collection of artworks. The bulk of the collection is made up of Italian paintings and starts on the first floor with portraits by Titian and Raphael, a superb 15^th-century Crucifixion by Masaccio and works by Botticelli and Michelangelo. Then come paintings by Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini (Transfiguration in Room 8), another Titian masterpiece (Danae in Room 11) and Parmigianino’s famous portrait of Antea, exquisite pearls in her ears, ermine draped over her shoulder, in Room 12. The second floor is dedicated to works produced in Naples and includes Caravaggio’s hugely influential Flagellation. Andy Warhol’s oh-so-familiar polychrome 1985 image of Vesuvius blowing its top, reproduced on a thousand fridge magnets, is among the contemporary pieces on the top floor. Even if you are not interested in art, the vast grounds make a brilliant place for a picnic, especially if you have kids in tow; the lawns immediately around the palace are crowded with local families at weekends, but it’s easy to find a secluded spot a little further into the park.