Travel to Naples may be difficult in person right now but some of the town’s finest museums are now offering incredibly informative virtual tours.  One of the best platforms for these new tours is Google Arts & Culture.  The unexpected upside to the current limits on travel to Italy is the development of a previously unprecedented array of cultural materials now available online.  The most famous museums in Naples including the National Archeology Museum of Naples  and Capodimonte Art Museum have newly prepared fascinating virtual tours and interactive lectures that focus on uniquely Neapolitan subjects.  As Italy has reiterated, la cultura non si ferma — culture doesn’t stop. We’ve put together a list of our favorite virtual exhibits in Naples.

 1)    Caravaggio Napoli, Real Bosco di Capodimonte

Renaissance master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was the bad boy of the art world.  A committed womanizer and inveterate gambler, he enjoyed the patronage of wealthy Roman aristocrats.  In 1606, a Neapolitan merchant commissioned Caravaggio to paint his Seven Works of Mercy, which to this day is housed in Naples church Pio Monte della Misericordia. Thus began Caravaggio’s lasting artistic contributions  to Naples and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.  He painted his final work in Naples, The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula before being murdered in Malta.  Learn about Caravaggio and the many students he influenced in Naples in this expertly curated virtual tour.

2) Elections in Pompeii, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

Graffitti was a way of life in ancient Pompeii.  Archeologists in Naples have collected many inscriptions from the ruins and after much study, have deemed them electoral propaganda. This online exhibit reveals how the inhabitants of Pompeii used political advertisements to influence local campaigns and promote candidates.  By breaking down common language and acronyms, the collection provides a fascinating portrait of early democracy at work. 

3) Catacombs of San Gaudioso, The Catacombs of Rione Sanità

Under the historic neighborhood of Riona Sanità is the one of the most significant burial grounds in Naples.  Here you will find early Christian catacombs and the remains of Saint Septimius Celius Gaudiosus. Also known as Gaudiosus the African. After the Vandal invasion of his nativeTunisia, he refused to convert to Arianism. The vandals placed him on a ship without sails or oars, along with other exiled Christians who would later arrive in Naples.  Learn about the role of early Christian martyrs in the history of Naples on this underground tour.

4) The Shower, Made in Cloister

In 2011, the Made in Cloister foundation restored the cloister of the Santa Caterina a Formiello’s church in Naples.  It is now a stunning art installation space.  Famed Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata created his piece The Shower in the cloister’s atrium. Playing with light and the domed architecture of the Church looming above, The Shower uses common Neapolitan materials including market crates and baskets, drawing attention to otherwise overlooked quotidian objects of beauty. 

5) 25 Manifesti per Napoli

Located inside the Castel Sant’Elmo, the Napoli NinetyNine Foundation uses art to promote the city of Naples. In 1984, the foundations launched the  Manifesti per Napoli project, commissioning tourism posters of Naples from 25 of the world’s most notable graphic designers.  View each of these posters with relevant commentary in this new online exhibit.  It is especially interesting to see how artists from across the world view Naples at the intersection of ancient history and modernity, by employing Neapolitan folkloric tropes.