In Italian hotels, there is often a large array of cakes placed out for breakfast. They are not terribly sweet, and many are made with fruit. Still, they are cake. Observe the one slice removed from the chocolate caprese cake. In subsequent photos, I will be wearing it. I did not have the heart to slice the one on the left, and really, I don’t need two slices of cake for breakfast. Just one, along with a tiny sfogliatella, some full fat yogurt, fresh fruit, and cheese. When I finish travelling and return home, it is the breakfast spreads I miss the most.
We are not heading home yet, though! Today was our last day with our professor, our guide, and the crew of Colorado College alums. We started at Museo di Capodimonte, which is housed in the Palace di Capodimonte. It was established by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples and Sicily (who later became Charles III of Spain) to not only be one of his palaces, but also to hold the vast collection he inherited from his mother, Elisabetta Farnese.
Elisabetta’s family was from Italy, except there was no united Italy then. So, it may be more precise to say her family was from the Duke of Parma, and also descended from the line of Popes that included Paul III, who was a very dedicated collector. He is responsible for many of the antiquities in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. The collection grew and ended up with the aforementioned Charles, who did take excellent care of them.
If I wrote the previous paragraph correctly, your head could be spinning a little, and perhaps you wonder if you should really try to take it all in, or just let the lineages and titles wash over you. This is how I felt all day.
I do not have the royal succession memorized. But the Bourbon king, Charles, did have many possessions to take care of, and we moved through the art today. We saw Renaissance to Mannerism to Baroque (lots because the palace itself is Baroque) to Rococo, and then a little bit of Neoclassicism and Romanticism. I just took a few photos of things that piqued my interest, and otherwise tried to take it all in.
After 2-3 hours my mind was full.
(In the above picture, the imp represents the Reformation, stealing the heart of the religious.)
We headed to lunch in the Spanish quarter. Even this spot is connected to the Bourbons: Once Charles VII of Naples and Sicily became Charles III of Spain, he had to leave Naples and Sicily and go to…Spain, to reign (you see what I did there?) Poor administration can bring down a country, so he left troops and his youngest son, Ferdinand, age 9, to manage things. The boy grew up to be Ferdinand IV and actually had a long reign as the King of Two Sicilies, although his life did seem to get complex at the end.)
After lunch we walked to Palazzo Reale, the city palace of Naples from the 1600s to 1861. It features this beautiful staircase, reminding me of the Million Dollar staircase in the capitol of New York State– also carved by master Italian craftsmen.
The second floor is enclosed with windows now, but was an open colonnade years ago. It has these candles, complete with flame tip lightbulbs and fake melting wax:
The many doors in the palace were made by Sicilian craftsman. Each one is a work of art:
We toured through ante chambers to the throne room, the chambers of the queen, and the ballroom. It was another very full sensory experience. Everything was highly, highly decorated. Here is where my art history background gets so very shallow: If you had shown me a picture of a ceiling, or decorative item, or even a floor, I would have said “European royal,” but not been able to say “Italy.” Of course, no ghost of the palace from prior to 1861 would have been able to say “Italy,” either, but they would have been able to say Naples. I still don’t have an iconic image of Naples royalty even after a couple of days of being in the spaces and amongst their collections.
We walked back to our hotel and watched the boats in the harbor. A container ship seemed still, but a sailing class had their little boats out and were maneuvering very precisely to the whistle blown by the instructor. It was a warm and relaxed half an hour’s time.
Our evening was for our farewell dinner. We’ve had a wonderfully convivial group, who were truly engaged by the theme and with each other.
