Certosa e Museo di San Martino

The Certosa e Museo di San Martino crowns the Vomero hill at Largo San Martino, above the old city of Naples, in Italy's Campania region. The former Carthusian monastery was founded in the 14th century and rebuilt in the 17th century in baroque style, largely by the architect and sculptor Cosimo Fanzago. Today it is a national museum devoted to the art and history of Naples. Visitors enter through the great cloister, the Chiostro Grande, a spacious arcaded courtyard with marble statues and a cemetery garden, and then pass through the richly decorated church, whose walls and ceilings are covered with marble inlay, frescoes and paintings by leading Neapolitan artists. The museum rooms display paintings, sculpture, porcelain, costumes and city views, giving a picture of Neapolitan life over several centuries. The best-known exhibit is the Presepe Cuciniello, a huge 18th-century-style nativity scene with hundreds of figures, animals and miniature buildings that draws many visitors, especially at Christmas. From the terraces and gardens there are views over the historic centre, the port and the whole Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the distance. A visit takes about two hours. Mornings on clear days are best for the views, and the site is rarely crowded, so the cloister and church can often be seen in relative peace. The monastery can be reached by the Montesanto funicular to Morghen followed by a ten-minute uphill walk, or by Metro Line 1 to Vanvitelli. Some sections, such as the naval wing and the Gothic undergrounds, may be closed. It pairs well with a visit to neighbouring Castel Sant'Elmo, which sits just above.