Art Notes at the Royal Palace of Naples for the Music Festival

Next Friday, June 21st, the Royal Palace di Napoli will host "Art notes“, a special event organized on the occasion of the thirtieth Music Festival.

Thematic Guided Tour

Visitors will have the opportunity to take part in a thematic itinerary, which will guide them through the fascinating rooms and works of art of the Appartamento di Etichetta. The visits will take place in groups of up to 25 people and will pass through the Court Theatre, known in the seventeenth century as the 'Sala regia' and used for musical works. Later, in 1768, the architect Ferdinando Fuga permanently transformed this space into a theatre on the occasion of the wedding of Maria Carolina of Austria to Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. During the eighteenth century, the theatre hosted comic operas by famous composers such as Giovanni Paisiello and Domenico Cimarosa.

Musical Works and Historical Furnishings

The itinerary also includes the presentation of extraordinary musical furnishings exhibited in the Apartment, such as the Charles Clay Machine of 1730, a very rare example of an organ clock with 51 pipes that played melodies by Handel. In addition, visitors will be able to admire a musical clock with a view of London and automatons by Thomas Wagstaffe. The visit will end in the Royal Chapel, known for having been an important seat of Neapolitan liturgical-musical practice between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with choirmasters such as Alessandro Scarlatti.

Practical information

The guided tour will last approximately 45 minutes, with departures from the Scalone d'Onore scheduled at 16:30 pm and 17:30 pm. Guided tours are included in the entrance ticket, but a mandatory reservation is required. With the ticket, it will also be possible to visit the Caruso Museum for the whole day, the only state site dedicated to the famous Neapolitan tenor, usually open only in the morning. Visitors will also be able to explore in the Sala Dorica a real room of wonders with 3D animations, multimedia platforms, and musical and cinematographic installations.