Naples National Archaeological Museum

Established in 1777, the Naples National Archaeological Museum is renowned for its vast collections of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian artifacts. Highlights include the Farnese Collection, featuring sculptures like the Farnese Hercules and the Farnese Bull, and the Secret Cabinet, which displays erotic artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The museum is located at Piazza Museo 18/19, 80135 Napoli.

Planning your visit

The Naples National Archaeological Museum holds what Pompeii and Herculaneum gave up, and that fact reorders how you should plan a trip to the Bay of Naples. The frescoes cut from villa walls, the floor mosaics including the vast Alexander Mosaic showing Alexander confronting Darius at Issus, the bronzes from the Villa of the Papyri, the everyday objects — all of it was removed to Naples rather than left in situ. Visit the sites without the museum and you see rooms stripped of their decoration; visit the museum without the sites and you see wall paintings without walls.

The Farnese Collection adds another layer entirely: monumental Roman sculpture inherited by the Bourbons, including the Farnese Hercules and the Farnese Bull, the largest single sculptural group to survive from antiquity, carved from one block. The Secret Cabinet holds the erotic material from Pompeii that was locked away from public view for well over a century and is now openly displayed. The Egyptian holdings are Italy's second largest.

Bookable options favour private guided tours, which suit a collection this dense and this poorly signposted — the museum's labelling is thin by international standards. Ticket options with audio apps and smartphone guides support independent visits. Synchronised audio-guided tours that require no app or QR scanning are available for visitors who would rather not deal with their phone. Combined private tours covering both Pompeii and the museum in one day are the most complete way to do it. Current dates are shown below.