The Villa Pignatelli is a museum in Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

 in southern Italy.

The villa is perhaps the most striking building along the Riviera di Chiaia

Riviera di Chiaia

The Riviera di Chiaia is a long street in the Italian city of Naples, running along the coast of the Gulf of Naples. On this street there are many ancient villas built by aristocratic families between the 16th and 19th centuries, such as the Villa Pignatelli.Mark Twain calls this street "Riviere...

, the road bounding the north side of the Villa Comunale

Villa Comunale

The Villa Comunale is the most prominent and visible park in Naples, southern Italy. It was built in the 1780s by King Ferdinand IV on land reclaimed along the coast between the main body of the city and the small port of Mergellina...

 on the sea front between Mergellina

Mergellina

.Mergellina is a section of the city of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. It is at the west end of the seaside road, via Caracciolo, one mile away from the main port of Naples.-Overview:...

 and Piazza Vittoria. It was built at the behest of Ferdinand Acton in 1826 as a neo-classical residence that would be the centerpiece of a park. The central atrium was moved to the front of the building and Doric columns still catch the eye of the viewer from the street 50 yards (45.7 m) away. The property has changed hands since construction. It was bought in 1841 by Carl Mayer von Rothschild

Carl Mayer von Rothschild

Carl Mayer von Rothschild was a German-born banker in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the founder of the Rothschild banking family of Naples....

of the German family of financiers; then in 1867 it passed to the Duke of Monteleone, Diego Aragona Pignatelli Cortes, whose widow then willed it to the Italian state in 1952. The villa maintains intact the gardens in front of the building and houses a coach museum and a collection of French and English vehicles from the 18th and 19th centuries.