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| visiting Villa Mombelli,Livorno |
First time cruisers in the Mediterranean usually visit the
Vatican Museums when in Rome, see Pompeii when their ship docks in Naples and from Livorno travel to Florence’s great museums.
For repeat
visitors who have the chance to delve
deeper and make a more leisurely visit here
is my personal list of the
best museums to visit.
These smaller, intimate museums and art collections are often housed in former private homes, thus offering a truer feel for the place, its history and how peopled lived in the past.
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| Tarquinia Palazzo Vitelleschi |
Near Civitavecchia - The Port for Rome
Tarquinia- Etruscan Museum in Palazzo Vitelleschi. Tarquinia is a medieval hill town located a
short bus ride from Civitavecchia port. Its frescoed Etruscan tombs dating from
800 BC earned Tarquinia UNESCO heritage site
status. The Museum is housed in a Renaissance palazzo in the city center
while the painted tombs are located a short distance away. Bookshop.
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| Mappamondo room, Caprarola, photo F. Pignatale |
Caprarola - Palazzo Farnese, about 1 hour drive inland
from the port of Civitavecchia, is a magnificent pentagon shaped palace built
for a Renaissance cardinal and lived in by an eccentric American family in the early 1900s. Today it
wows visitors with frescoed saloni and gardens. To read more about Caprarola use the search box at the top of the page.
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| fountain of Hercules, Palazzo Farnese Caprarola |
Rome
Palazzo Doria Pamphili on Via del Corso is a private
palazzo of 300+ rooms which also houses an extensive collection of art belonging to the
noble Doria Pamphili family. Bookshop
and nearby café.
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| entrance to Villa Mombelli,Livorno |
Livorno
Museo Civico Giovanni Fattori, Villa
Mombelli (Via S. Jacopo in Acquaviva,65) is a bit on the outskirts of the town but easily reached by bus from the port area. The
villa contains paintings of the Macchiaioli (1855-1900) School, especially Giovanni Fattori. Architectural details and furnishings of Moorish, Baroque and Renaissance styles. Bookshop and quiet, cool
park.
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| ceramic putti on stairway, Villa Mombelli |
Naples
The small chapel museum Cappella San Severo in the back streets of old Naples contains the famous sculpture of the veiled
Christ and others by Giuseppe
Sanmartino.
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| Villa San Michele, Anacapri |
Capri
Villa San Michele, atop the island at Anacapri, was once
home to Swedish doctor and author Axel Munthe. The villa contains his collection of Roman statuary,
mosaics and works of art and offers magnificent views over the Bay of Naples. Villa San Michele
Elba
On the island
where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled, Villa
San Martino evokes the Empire period
with furniture and art that belong to him.
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| bedroom, Villa San Martino, Elba |
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| Villa San Martino, Elba |
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| statue of Paolina Bonaparte |
Siracusa
The Sicilian Regional art gallery located in newly restored 12th
century palazzo in Ortygia gives Antonella da Messina’s Annunciation
(1474) pride of place along with stone sculptures. Palazzo Bellomo
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| courtyard of Palazzo Bellomo, Siracusa |
Hope you find this article helpful for planning your next cruise in the Mediterranean. Check my website and books for more information about travel in Italy.
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