Portici Royal Palace

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Frontal view of the palace
The palace in the 18th century

The Royal Palace Portici (Italian: Reggia di Portici or Palazzo Reale di Portici ) is a country palace of the Bourbons ruling Naples and Sicily in the municipality of Portici , near the city of Naples .

The castle is located in the middle of Portici within a large park and was built from 1738 to 1752 by the Roman architect Antonio Canevari for King Charles VII . For a long time the finds from the nearby Herculaneum excavation site were in the castle. These finds were not accessible to the public, however, and it was not until 1822 that the collection was transferred to the National Archaeological Museum in Naples .

Shortly after the Royal Palace Portici was completed, the construction of a larger rural residence of the ruling dynasty Bourbon-Sicily began , namely the construction of the Royal Palace of Caserta , which became the official seat of the court of Ferdinand IV from 1759 , which Portici only occasionally used as a retreat. Until 1777 the palace also served as the residence of the mentally handicapped eldest brother of the king, Felipe Antonio Duke of Calabria (1747–1777). Emperor Joseph II stayed here in 1769 and Mozart in 1770 . In 1799 the king had a theater built. During the French occupation, Joachim Murat , Napoleon's brother-in-law, furnished it with French furniture.

The palace is now home to museums belonging to the Agricultural Faculty of the University of Naples and a botanical garden, as well as an exhibition on the Herculaneum excavations that were once kept here and their presentation under the Bourbon kings.

Web links

Commons : Royal Palace Portici  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 40 ° 48 ′ 40 ″  N , 14 ° 20 ′ 34 ″  E