info: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Floridiana
[ENGLISH]
In june 1815 Ferdinando IV di Borbone bought
for his wife Lucia Migliaccio, duchess of Floridia and, before
that, widow of prince Benedetto III Grifeo di Partanna, the estate
of prince Giuseppe Caracciolo di Torella, wide lot on the Vomero
hill, where it had been erected a mansion that, onoring his wife,
he called Floridiana.
The buying by the King, in 1817, of
properties near the villa earned the mansion another entrance on
the side of Chiaia. It was given to the architect Antonio Niccolini
the charge to renovate the old construction and between 1817 and
1819 he completed the mansion in neoclassical style and the wide
park in romantic style.
Aves and paths were fixed to green by the the
director of the botanical garden Friedrich Dehnhardt that ornated
the park with 150 species of plants counting live oaks, pines,
plane trees, palms, box trees and a rich collection of perfect
flowers (cammelias).
The
park itself is a scenographic rotation of winding paths and shadowy
groves, beautiful the one wit cammelias, with wide areas occupied
by prateries and open to the gulf, in a facinating synthesis of
geometric elements typical of the italian garden and of perspective
solutions of the english gardens.
enhancing the romantic atmosphere of the park,
niccolini placed a series of false ruins, statues and architectural
elements, in part still existing.
From
1927 Villa Floridiana hosts a museum dedicated to the decorative
arts: Il Museo Nazionale della Ceramica Duca di
Martina.