Real Museo Mineralogico

The Real Mineralogical Museum of Naples , housed in the rooms that once belonged to the Library of the Collegio Massimo of the Society of Jesus , was established in 1801 by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon to create a research center for the discovery of mineral resources in the Kingdom of Naples and a place of education for the younger generation.

Among the scholars who contributed to the creation of this Museum, we recall the six mineralogists of the Kingdom of Naples who, at the end of the 18th century, collected numerous minerals from the most important European mining sites and Arcangelo Scacchi, director of the Museum from 1844 to 1892, famous crystallographer and volcanologist.

The Royal Mineralogical Museum has also played an important cultural and socio-political role in the history of southern Italy . Among the scientific events that took place in the magnificent monumental hall, we recall the VII Congress of Italian Scientists in 1845 which saw the participation of 1600 scientists. Among the socio-political events, we mention the inaugural session of the Chamber of Deputies of the Neapolitan Parliament established in 1848 after the granting of the Constitution by Ferdinand II and in 1860 it was one of the twelve polling stations for voting on the annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to the Kingdom of Italy.

The high historical and scientific value of the collections and the extraordinary venue place the Real Museum among the most important mineralogy museums in Europe . The exhibition area, approximately 800 square meters, is divided into a large access corridor, a vestibule, the monumental hall and the rooms dedicated to Arcangelo Scacchi and Antonio Parascandola.