The Duca di Martina Museum is a decorative arts museum in Naples, housed in Villa Floridiana on the Vomero hill. The neoclassical villa was built in the early nineteenth century for Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia, the wife of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. Its setting and intimate galleries make it a quieter alternative to the city’s major archaeological museums and royal palaces.
The collection belonged to Placido de Sangro, Duke of Martina, a nineteenth-century collector with an eye for finely made objects. His heirs gave it to the city, and it found a home in the villa. European porcelain includes Meissen, Sèvres and Naples’ own Capodimonte ware, displayed alongside Chinese and Japanese pieces. Renaissance maiolica, medieval ivories, enamels, glass, silver and coral offer a wider view of the tastes and trade networks that shaped European collecting.
Leave time for the surrounding Floridiana park, where shaded paths and terraces offer views across the Gulf of Naples. To reach Vomero, take the Chiaia funicular to Cimarosa, a short walk from the park entrance, but check the line’s current service before travelling. Museum opening days and hours can change, so confirm them in advance; allow around 90 minutes for the collection, plus extra time for the grounds.