Located inside the Museum and Royal Wood of Capodimonte in Naples, the most beautiful and largest botanical garden in Europe within an urban area, the Delizie Reali project includes La Stufa dei Fiori, a wonderful herbal tea shop and bistro born inside the ancient greenhouses of the Bourbons.

In Naples, nothing is done without aspiring to eternal grandeur. A particular example is the Royal Palace of Capodimonte, built starting in 1738 at the behest of King Charles of Bourbon as a hunting estate, which on 14 thousand square meters of rooms and 134 hectares of park hosts one of the most important art galleries in Europe and a botanical garden of rare beauty.

A residence desired by King Charles also for the transfer to Naples of the Farnese collections inherited from his mother Elisabetta Farnese which represent the heart of the art gallery, in Italy second only to the Uffizi. Here you can admire absolute masterpieces by Titian, Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Bellini, Botticelli, Masaccio, Mantegna, Rosso Fiorentino, Correggio, Parmigianino, Lotto, the Carracci brothers. And also Goya, El Greco, Luca Giordano, Ribera, Artemisia Gentileschi, Van Dyck, Simone Martini, Warhol, Gemito.

Today the Museum and the Park follow the same philosophy desired by its creator, Charles of Bourbon, according to which Aesthetics and Functionality must unite in a monumental way.

(Nunzia Petrecca, landscape architect)

Added to these works is an extraordinary collection of porcelain, partly made in the Royal Factory of Capodimonte Porcelain, once located within the property, and decorative arts which, together with the ancient drawings and maps of the park, formed the starting point for the most beautiful philological restoration of a botanical garden in Italy.

The muse behind the recovery of this Garden of Eden is Nunzia Petrecca, a landscape architect specializing in the protection of historic gardens. Having always been in love with this place, she won with her company Delizie Reali the European tender for the enhancement and management of the “Royal Fruit Garden of the Capodimonte Wood”, aka the farm located within the Royal Woods where the Bourbons used to grow various delicacies and botanical species that were rare or had arrived in Europe for the first time, such as tangerines.

The architectural restoration, which Nunzia took care of down to the smallest detail, has preserved the original soul of all the spaces and in particular of one of the nineteenth-century Bourbon greenhouses which in 2022 reopened with the name La Stufa dei Fiori Tisaneria e Bistrot, a charming little bistro in the heart of the park which, together with Giardino Torre, is part of the Delizie Reali project.

A highly evocative location that has kept intact even the original yellow plaster on the outside and the “Vitriol of Cyprus” hue that characterizes the interiors, a turquoise blue color used over the decades for its functional fungicidal properties in environments with high humidity.

The wooden furniture inside is designed to hold porcelain, cups and saucers for teas and coffees, while the outdoor terrace features armchairs, sofas and tables that enjoy a romantic view of the lawns and the monumental facade of the Royal Museum of Capodimonte.

The gastronomic offer of La Stufa dei Fiori is built around natural and artisanal products, made partly with farm-to-table ingredients from the Royal Fruit Garden of Capodimonte, located north of the park, such as, in particular, citrus fruits and other fruits, perfect for breakfast, lunch or an aperitif.

Inside there is also a shop where you can buy the Delizie Reali branded products – tomato puree, orange, tangerine and lemon marmalades, quince or apple jams, fruit juices and even limoncello liquor – and other organic products from sustainable agriculture and made by small social cooperatives.

After a sweet break, don’t miss finishing your visit to the Museum and Royal Wood of Capodimonte in Naples on the terrace in front of the Royal Palace, which offers visitors the extraordinary panorama of the Belvedere, which opens onto the city and the Gulf of Naples.

The Secret

One of the treasures of the Capodimonte Museum, is the small living room made entirely of porcelain for Queen Maria Amalia of Saxony, which was originally part of her private apartment in the Royal Palace of Portici. Completed between 1757 and 1759, it is one of the last creations of the Royal Factory of Capodimonte Porcelain, a room sumptuously decorated with chinoiserie and six large mirrors of unique charm.

Useful info

Museum and Royal Wood of Capodimonte
Delizie Reali
Via Miano 2, entrance from Porta Grande
80133 Napoli
Tel. +39 081 3088478

Free entrance to the Park and La Stufa dei Fiori
For opening hours and events, visit Delizie Reali’s social pages

Juices: from 3.5 euro
Tea/herbal teas: from 6 euro
Dishes: from 6 euro