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It was established as an educational collection, which was commissioned in 1901, and it is located inside the Royal Palace of Portici, home of the Agricultural College of Naples. It encloses about 700 paintings of vegetable and fruit varieties cultivated in Italy between 1800 and 1900. The collection, which was restored and digitalised thanks to the diligence of the professor Stefania De Pascale and the contribution of ROSSOPOMODORO, gives back the precise representation of the Italian germplasm of fruit and vegetables.
The first 154 works are related to horticulture and were commissioned by professor Francesco De Rosa, the first title holder of the chair of horticulture, which was established in 1900. The collection was then increased by professor Ferruccio Zago from 1928. More than 550 works are related to fruit-growing. The drawings were initially realised under the guidance of prof. Luigi Savastano, lecturer of arboriculture, from 1884 to 1910. Other professors increased the collection; in particular prof. Domenico Casella, title holder of the chair of arboriculture, director of “Istituto di Coltivazione Arboree” of the Agricultural college in the sixties, eminent scholar of ‘frutta antica’ and well-known pomologist. Thanks to him many species, which had been already cultivated since 79 d.C. (when the Vesuvius eruption took place), were identified after studies about the fruits represented in the frescos of Pompei.

Other places of interest inside the palace:
Herculanense Museum: parts of the building which allow to rebuild the original architectural context.
Museum of entomology “Filippo Silvestri”
Museum of mineralogy “Antonio Parascandola”
Museum anatomo-zootecnico “tito Manlio Bettini
Museum of agriculture mechanics “Carlo Santini”
Botanical Mueseum “Orazio Comes”
Royal Palace of Portici and Gussone Park with Botanical Garden

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)