An ancient historical address dating back to the ‘700’s and immersed in the color and scents of a typical Sorrentine citrus plantation, “Villa alla Rota” has hosted one of the most important Campanian museums: the Museo Correale di Terranova.

Instituted in 1924 by the Correale Foundation, which was founded in 1902, thanks to the enormous grants left by Alfredo and Pompeo Correale, the Museo Correale di Terranova in Sorrento provides an important testimony of the fluctuating cultures that influenced the geographc basin of Sorrento and its surrounds up until the end of the last century.

Porcelain, paintings, objects of a furnishing nature and local handmade products belonging to the Correale family, provide a free display to its visitors.

The building which houses the museum has one of the most enchanting panoramic terraces ever, overlooking the Gulf of Sorrento. It’s split into 3 levels with 24 halls where the antique furniture, pocelain and paintings italian and interantional of the 18th century.

On the ground floor one will find the archeological section of the museum where the most important archeological finds can be seen, such as the inauguration of the Temple of Vesta on the Palatino and the relics found in the necropoli uncovered on the Sorrentine Peninsula which have been traced back to the period between the 9th and 11th centuries.

The first floor displays the paintings and period furniture from the 18th century, oriental porcelain and paintings illustrating the Flemmish technique of painting. Amongst the exhibits the most celebrated of the Museum are paintings by Caravaggio landscapes on canvas by Domenico Gargiulo, the famous painting by Salvator Rosa, “Marina con I Pescatori” and canvasses by Rubens, Van Cassell and Grimmer.

On the second floor there is a hall dedicated to landscapes and still life paintings completed by the artists of the Posillipo School. There are also pendulums and Italian and European watches, many of which are still in perfect working order even though they date back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

On the third floor is an exhibition of porcelain, precious pieces and unique Italian manufactured valuables such as the Venetian Vezzi, the Florentian Doccia and the Napoletan Capodimonte and Real Fabbrica.

Precious pieces from Austria, France, The Netherlands and Germany are also represented.