National Archeological Museum

The National Archaeological Museum in Naples is one of the most important archaeological museums in the world. It was founded by Charles III of Bourbon in around 1750 who placed it in a building that dates back to 1585, originally serving as a barracks for the Cavalry.
From 1616 to 1777, the building was seat to the antique University of Naples at the time referred to as Palace of Royal Studies, but when it slowly began to move its studies elsewhere, the first phase of the museum was set up with the Herculaneum Museum and the Farnese collection.
The museum contains unprecedented collection of Roman-Greek antiquities including artifacts from the excavations of Herculaneum, Stabile, Pompeii, and other various sites in southern Italy with pieces dating back to 200 B.C.
Exhibits added at the beginning of the 19th century include ruins from the Baths of Caracalla in Rome and two sculptures; the Bull, one of the largest sculptures of ancient times, and the statue of Hercules.
The museum also contains a remarkable collection of gems including a cameo, once part of a private collection of Lorenzo the Magnificent; the Tazza Farnese, handcrafted in Alexandria in 150, boasting to be one of the largest cameos in the world.
Inside the museum one can also find the "secret cabinet" which holds erotic art pieces found in Pompeii. The secret museum was opened and reopened many times throughout the years and finally in 200 became open to the public for an additional fee.
The museum contains numerous frescoes and mosaics, marble and bronze statues, earthenware and weapons, vases and jewelery.