The Villa Floridiana, a large park located on top of the Vomero hill, has two entrances from two main streets of the district: via Cimarosa and via Aniello Falcone. This ‘green lug’ is full of tree-lined paths, flowers and thickets which turn out to be perfect for a short walk and a summer picnic. Together with its fountains and buildings that date back to the 19th century, this park has a wonderful panoramic viewpoint overlooking the gulf of Naples. Still inside and within a short walking distance, there is a bar where breakfast and lunch are usually served.
Moreover, the park houses the ‘Duca di Martina Museum’, in which the major Italian collections of decorative arts are preserved. According to the history, the king Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies give this building to Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia: for this reason the park has been named after her. In the museum, more than six thousand works of art of the 19th century can be found: all of them had been collected by the Duke of Martina, Placido de Sangro. On the ground floor, there are ivory and coral manufactures as well as paintings, majolicas, miniatures, enamel porcelains and 18th century furniture. By contrast, the first floor houses the core of the collection which includes porcelain works of art that have been produced in Meissen, Sèvres and Capodimonte. Finally, in the basement Asiatic works of art are safeguarded and some of them even date back to the Ming (14th– 17th century) and the Qing (17th– 20th century) dynasties.
