Food and Drinks in Capodimonte Park
If you’re walking into the park along Amedeo Street (or coming up the road by bus or taxi), you’ll find numerous delicatessens, fresh-fruit markets, and take-away cafés to pick up picnic gear for cheaper prices than the fast food found in the park. Almost every grocery store has cold meats and fresh cheese, whose owner will gladly make you a fresh mozzarella and ham sandwich.

Events happen throughout the year in Capodimonte Park, either at the palace museum or on the grounds, usually connected with a cultural or sport event. Snack & drink carts, food tents, and the museum café have what you need for a quick bite, cold drink, or a leisurely espresso. All the food and drinks concessions are in two general locations: around the museum and inside the gate to the main section of the park. Otherwise, the interior of the park is too big or too wild for snack & drinks carts.

The Royal Palace of Capodimonte was constructed in 1738. It now houses one of the most important gallery in Italy with the paintings from the Farnese Collection, which counts among its masterpieces several works by first-class artists as Simone Martini, Masolino, Masaccio, Botticelli, Bellini, Raffaello, Tiziano, Lotto, Correggio, Parmigianino, i Carracci, Bruegel, El Greco, Guido Reni, Luca Giordano. Inside the Palace there is also the rich Gallery of Ottocento and the Collection of Ceramics and Porcelain from the Royal Factory of Capodimonte. The museum is open Thurs.–Tues., 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Cost: 7.50 euro.

Outside Capodimonte Park
There are few destinations immediately around the park. One of note, however, is the Villa Pignatelli. This Neoclassical residence houses the Diego Aragona Pignatelli Cortes Museum and Picture Gallery. A highlight of its tour are the preserved 17th-century rooms. Neapolitan art from the 16th to early 20th centuries adorn the walls. Outside, an English garden displays offspring from the original plantings, including camellias, palm trees and magnolia.

At the foot of Capodimonte hill lie Naples’ Botanical Gardens. Begun in 1807, the gardens collect more than 25,000 examples of flora (representing 10,000 species). A system of water gardens and greenhouses have created artificial habitats for the most delicate of the species. Also on the botanical grounds are the Museum of Paleobotany and the Ethnologic Botany garden, both housed in a 17th-century castle. For more on Naples, jump to its city page.
Directions to Capodimonte Park
Capodimonte Park has numerous entrances. The likely entrance for visitors to Naples is up the hill along the long, straight Via Amedeo. While you can walk up this hill from the museum & tourist areas along Via Foria and Corso Malta, it’s best to take a bus or your rental car. Buses in Naples are crowded but easy to use. If you know the street you need to travel on, the maps at each bus stop are a simple formula to decide which bus is going your way. Purchase tickets at a tobacco shop, a news stand (one on every corner, it seems) or perhaps at our hotel or hostel. Bus running up Via Amedeo let you off almost directly across the park entrance.

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