Hotels near National Archaeological Museum (MANN)

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli holds the finest collection of Roman art on Earth - all of it excavated from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the surrounding Vesuvian cities. The Farnese Hercules, the Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun, the Secret Cabinet of erotic Roman art, and the coloured frescoes from Villa of the Mysteries are housed in a converted 1750s Bourbon palace.

Allocate three hours minimum. The Alexander Mosaic was lifted whole from Pompeii and is the largest surviving from antiquity. The Secret Cabinet (Gabinetto Segreto) - originally locked away by 19th-century Bourbon kings - holds the explicit erotic art that Pompeian houses displayed openly. Entry is EUR 22, included on the Campania ArteCard.

Pro Tip: Visit before Pompeii, not after. Seeing the Alexander Mosaic and Villa of the Mysteries frescoes here gives context to what you will later see as bare rooms at the site itself. Open until 7.30pm Wednesday to Monday, closed Tuesday.