Museo Caruso Opens in Naples' Palazzo Reale

A new museum dedicated to legendary tenor Enrico Caruso opens July 19, 2023, in Naples' Palazzo Reale. The Museo Caruso occupies the 500-square-meter Sala Dorica, formerly a carriage house, and features immersive installations, multimedia content, and over a million euros worth of memorabilia donated by the Associazione Museo Caruso di Milano. The opening coincides with the 150th anniversary of Caruso's birth, celebrated on February 25, 2023. Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano praised the initiative, noting Caruso's role in globalizing Neapolitan song and suggested naming Naples' airport after him. The museum is part of a national and international network including the Archivio Ricordi, Archivio Guccini, Archivio del Teatro alla Scala, and the Metropolitan Opera House. Curated by musicologist Laura Valente and designed by NEO Narrative Environments Operas, the space presents Caruso's life from his poor childhood to his rise as a global media star, with letters, original rolls, costumes, caricatures, autographed scores, and watercolors. Director of Palazzo Reale Mario Epifani highlighted partnerships with the Comune di Napoli, Teatro San Carlo, and the Comune di Lastra a Signa, which hosts another Caruso museum at Villa Bellosguardo. Massimo Osanna, director general of Musei, described the museum as a dynamic, living space for encounters and events.