Certosa di San Martino

The Certosa di San Martino, on Largo San Martino beside Castel Sant'Elmo on the Vomero hill, is a Carthusian monastery founded in 1325 under Charles of Calabria, son of Robert of Anjou, with Tino di Camaino among the early designers. Its present appearance is largely baroque: from 1623 the Bergamask architect and sculptor Cosimo Fanzago remodelled the monastery, creating the Chiostro Grande, the church and the monks' rooms, and leading a team of leading Neapolitan artists. The church interior is rich in polychrome marble, with works by Jusepe de Ribera, Guido Reni, Massimo Stanzione and others. After the suppression of monastic orders in the 19th century, the complex became a museum, and today the Museo Nazionale di San Martino documents the history, art and daily life of Naples and its kingdom. The collections include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, Bourbon-era carriages, a naval section and an extensive collection of topographical views of the city. Its best known holding is the Presepe Cuciniello, a vast 18th-century-style nativity scene with hundreds of figures assembled in the 19th century, as well as other crib scenes. The architecture combines the large cloister, with its marble arcades and cemetery garden, and the terraced gardens that overlook the roofs of Naples and the bay. The museum is arranged partly chronologically and partly by theme, in the former monastic rooms. Restoration in recent decades has renewed the cloisters, the church and several galleries, though some sections have been closed at times. Admission is around EUR 6, and the museum is closed on Tuesday. The visit is rewarded by the terrace views, which match those of the neighbouring Sant'Elmo.