If you're going to see Pompeii, we recommend that you also go to the Naples Archaeology Museum. Visit the museum after you see Pompeii so that you understand the context in which the objects were placed. One thing to note is that the museum is not located in the nicest part of Naples. In the late afternoon, we took the subway to the museum. From what I had read, the museum was almost visible from the subway station. WRONG!!
When we surfaced to the street, we looked around and had no idea which way to go. We picked a direction and walked a couple of blocks. We felt way out of place and decided the people hanging around might get ideas if we stood around too long, so we continued to walk briskly. I saw a gentleman in a suit and decided to ask directions (how bad can you be if you're wearing a suit?). After asking in English, he responded in Italian. It was then I realized I had just encountered my first Italian who didn't speak English. Fortunately, I had a photo of the museum in my pocket so I took it out and pointed to it. He then realized what we were looking for and gave a very detailed explanation. In Italian. I started pointing in different directions and shrugging. He pointed. We thanked him and walked.
Luckily we found a map in a nearby park, made a slight course correction, and found the museum within a few blocks. Whew!
After purchasing tickets and walking past the gift shop, we entered the lobby shown in these first four photos. All the objects are tagged in Italian, so I really had no idea what we were looking at - we just appreciated them for their beauty.
As I have mentioned before, for some reason I get very dizzy when I go to Europe. We haven't figured it out yet, but my dizziness was at full tilt when I viewed the stairway in the first photo. Therefore, we explored the first floor then found a service elevator to get to the other floors. Embarrassing, but it had to be done.
The museum was pretty empty, and we didn't encounter more than 5 or 6 people in any of the rooms we entered.
Another statue in the lobby area.
A view from the lobby down the hall of busts.
This is the patio courtyard in the center of the build. The pink color you see is what the exterior of the building looks like - unfortunately I was so uncomfortable outside that I didn't pause to snap a photo of the exterior. There is a small snack bar on this patio.
Once entering the lobby, we turned left to find an extensive collection of sarcophagus (sarcophagi?). They are very intricately carved and are alone worth the visit to the museum.
The sign on this one: "Sarcofago rappresentante la gara di Pelope e Enomao"
The sign on this one reads "Sarcofago rappresentante mito di Artimide ed Endimione"
There are a few statues in the same area of the sarcophagi...
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