Garden with Star Wars memorabilia and Roman artifacts at the Naples Archaeology museum

Naples With Kids – Archaeology Museum

Can you think of a better way to spend a hot afternoon in Naples with kids than with Han Solo, Zeus and, you know, oodles of other ancient Roman sculptures, mosaics, and frescoes?

Hang on! Did I just mention Star Wars and ancient Roman artifacts in the same sentence? Yes. Yes, I did. I call it genius. Pure genius!

Image of boy copying Han Solo frozen in carbonite at Naples Archaeology Museum. www.captivatingcompass.com

Star Wars & Roman Art Mingle

Roman artifacts and Star Wars memorabilia (from the movie set!) were strategically placed among the Star Wars exhibit at the National Archaeology Museum in Naples, Italy. My son could not believe we were hanging out where Han Solo meets Julius Caesar! Yep! There was the MannHero Star Wars exhibit in the basement of the museum. It was a compilation of movie-set items and memorabilia alongside Roman artifacts. What an ingenious way to get kids (especially my 10-year-old boy) to engage with Italian art, history, and culture.

image of boy with Roman sculpture at the Naples Archaeology Museum. www.captivatingcompass.com

Naples With Kids – Free Admission

Once we got inside the Naples Archeology Museum, we quickly by-passed the group of guided tour sales people and headed straight to the museum ticket counter. Tickets were quite affordable – only about 12 Euro for an adult and the kids are free (under 18).

image of teens with travelitems with text overlay. Teack kids to pack from CaptivatingCompass.com

Check Your Bags

Upon being asked to stow our daypacks in the locker, I was pleasantly surprised that the lockers were free. So, we shoved our bags all in one locker, double checked it was locked (always double-check – sometimes the locks can be a bit dodgy). Then, headed, with our handy map, to the first gallery – the Star Wars Exhibit.

Grab The App!

We used their fun little app as we explored the entire museum on a hunt for the different sculptures and paintings that had been embellished (digitally) to include Star Wars characters. Once found, we could scan the artwork and see how it was embellished with Star Wars characters. The kids loved it!

image of Roman statue and Mann Hero sign at Naples Archaeology Museum with text overlay: Naples with Kids - Archaeology Museum at www.captivatingcompass.com

Artifact Treasure Hunting

The Star Wars art treasure hunt was the highlight of the museum because it took us through all the galleries of mosaics, frescoes, paintings, and sculptures.

Whilst looking for the next Star Wars we found ourselves being immersed in Roman artifacts from Pompeii, Ercolano and the rest of the Roman Empire. There were even areas where whole rooms had been re-built with the artifacts. You could walk through the middle as though you were walking through the lavish rooms of Ercolano.

image of fresco at Naples Archaeology Museum in Italy www.captivatingcompass.com

Captivated By It All

It was mesmerizing, inspiring and so thought-provoking for me. The kids did a great job of spotting a variety of different statues of very important Romans and even many great Roman and Greek thinkers and rulers. Archeology in Naples with kids had proven to be quite a satisfying adventure.

Image of frescoes on ceiling in Naples Archaeology Museum. www.captivatingcompass.com

Happy Kids, Hooray!

While the museum is only 3 floors and a beautiful garden area, we made it through all the rooms (thanks to the Star Wars app) without a complaint. By the end, our brains were full and our feet were ready for a break, so we headed back to home base laughing about how fun the ‘Star Wars’ exhibit was. The exhibit was meant to be over at the end of August 2018, but we were there the third week of September and still got to see it. If it’s gone, now I’m sure it will return soon as it was a big hit. You can get more information about where to find it next on their website.

Stay A Few Days In Naples with kids

No doubt about it! Italians love their art, artifacts, and movies. They have made it all so approachable and entertaining for the entire family. The Naples Archaeology Museum makes for a fun afternoon in a crazy, loud city. But, done right, it can be an amazingly enjoyable city.

Need a few more things to do in Naples with kids? Keep having fun and learning on location in Naples like a local.

Pro Tip: If you have older kids, Ercolano and Naples can probably be done in one long day if you keep your focus on the history and artifacts at the ruin site in Ercolano and the Archaeology Museum. If your home base is Sorrento or another town easily accessible by train or car, this might be a long day, but still very enjoyable.