Villa Floridiana and the Duke of Martina Ceramics Museum

This splendid villa located on the Vomero hill, well hidden by a gigantic and blooming park, was the secret royal residence of Ferdinand IV, known as the King Lazzarone. Here, the king from the Bourbon family spent very happy and carefree moments with his attractive companion Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia, whom he married only a month and a half after the passing of his first wife, Maria Carolina.

The sovereign acquired this villa specifically for his new wife since she had not been given the title of queen and could not reside in the official residences of the Bourbon court. Ferdinand offered her a palace worthy of her rank, which he named Floridiana in her honor. Architect Antonio Niccolini oversaw the renovation of the old structure, and between 1817 and 1819, he built the villa in neoclassical style and created the vast park in romantic style. Following the death of the duchess in 1826, the park underwent many changes by the heirs until, in 1919, the Villa was acquired by the State and designated as a museum to house the collection of the Duke of Martina.

This museum is one of the quirkiest in Italy and somehow reflects what the villa once was: a symbol of royal sensuality.** The Duke of Martina Ceramics Museum, in its 24 rooms, houses porcelain and majolica from various eras and all the most important factories in the world**, but not only that. In special showcases, very unique art objects are exhibited: hard stones, walking sticks, ivories, enamels, locks, keys, bridal trousseau boxes, and much more. The origin of the museum's formation is distinctly Neapolitan: since the Seventeenth century, noble families competed to collect art objects to transform their homes into true museums. Based on this habit, in the second half of the Nineteenth century, Placido de Sangro, Duke of Martina, a character with a more than peculiar life, began his activity as a collector.

The art objects displayed in the museum are numerous and are distributed across the three floors of the villa. On the lower floor, there are Chinese, Japanese, and generally Eastern objects, on the first floor, you'll find glassware, majolica, ivories, enamels, hard stones, and miniatures, while on the second floor, overlooking the beautiful panorama of the bay, are the porcelain pieces ranging from those of Meissen to those of Sevres, Vienna, Limoges, Berlin, Mainz, and Capodimonte.

It is difficult to estimate which of these objects is the most precious; the duke himself, in addition to following his taste, relied on the opinions of a group of art experts for his acquisitions. However, among the Meissen porcelain, which includes, in addition to tableware, even chess sets and flutes, you might find the most valuable pieces, such as a bronze vase worked and gilded in 1710. The Sevres porcelain also holds importance, with colors ranging from chrome yellow to garnet.

The most unusual and original piece in all the collections is undoubtedly a cup, with a curious shape, that belonged to Queen of France Marie Antoinette and was part of the service found at Versailles, in the Trianon. The cup, supported by a tripod, is shaped like a woman's breast. From a more technical standpoint, the small pitcher that comes from the Florentine Medici family is also very interesting. The date marked on the pitcher, 1575, traces one of the first experiments in laboratory porcelain acquisition in Italy.

The park offers a spectacular alternation of pathways and charming flowerbeds, which undoubtedly helps to accentuate the romantic atmosphere that this green space already possesses by itself. To make the atmosphere of other times even more perceivable, Niccolini introduced a series of fake ruins, like statues and architectural elements, some of which still exist, such as the Ionic-style temple located at the extreme edge of the terrace garden, which provides, through its white columns,

a wonderful city panorama. The little theatre of Verzura, on the other hand, consists of a double-tiered seating arrangement and a large central space, a delight for children who enjoy playing and staging little shows here. The Floridiana is very suitable for younger children: while walking through the characteristic paths of the park, you often encounter the strollers of children, brought here by their mothers to breathe in some fresh air.** But this park is also the ideal place for lovers wanting to hide from prying eyes and for students skipping school who spend their morning strolling among the trees.**

Address: Via Cimarosa, Vomero district How to get there: Via Cimarosa. Metro Line L1, Vanvitelli station. Central funicular stop at Piazza Fuga or the Montesanto funicular stop at via Morghen. Opening hours: Winter 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Summer 8:30 AM - 7:00 PM. Closed on Tuesdays. Ticket: free admission to the Villa. Museum 4 euros.