Naples Archaeology Museum: Introduction

 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...

Naples Archaeology Museum: Busts and Statues

 This is a portrait bust of Vespasian, whose full name was Titus Flavius Vespasiuanus. He lived November 17, 9 AD until June 23, 79 AD. He was 69 when he died, was born in Falacrina and died in Rome. He had a wife (Domitilla the Elder), a mistress (Caenis), and three children (Titus, Domitian, and Domitilla the Younger). Vespasian was from a family of equestrians and ruled during the brief Flavian Dynasty which included his sons Titus (79-81 AD) and Domitian (81-96 AD).

 This is a bust of Julius Caesar, the Roman military and political leader who helped transform the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. Julius lived from July 13, 100 BC to March 15, 44 BC. He was 53 when he died, was born in Subura, Rome and died in Curia of Pompey, Rome.

 This is the very famous Farnese Hercules. Probably created in the third century AD by Glykon for the Baths of Caracalla in Rome (built in 216 AD), it was re-discovered there in 1546 and added to the collection of Alessandro Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III.

 It remained as the only object in a room at the Palazzo Farnese in Rome until 1787 when it was moved to Napes.

 It was found in pieces, with the head recovered from a well in Trastevere and purchased separately from the Farnese collection. Replacement legs were created for the statue based on Michelangelo's recommendations, partly to show that artists from the era could do as well as the ancient artists. The original legs were later discovered in ongoing Baths of Caracalla excavations and were reunited with the statue in 1787. This statue has often been copied, and in fact this statue itself is an enlarged version of a statue made in the fourth century BC.

Naples Archaeology Museum: Mosaics

 Most of these mosaics were removed from Pompeii for preservation, although a few probably came from Herculaneum also.  Unfortunately I either did not photograph the writeups that went with the mosaics, or they did not exist.  In any case, I don't know much about any specific mosaic.