Capodimonte Astrological Observatory, Naples

The first university teaching post in astronomy in Naples was created in 1735 by Carlo di Borbone. In 1791, Ferdinando I di Borbone began the construction of an observatory inside the old Palazzo degli Studi, which was already being transformed in order to host the prestigious royal collection. Today the observatory is a museum. And Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte has an important collection of astronomical equipment and apparatus from various epochs on display. It also has a large conference theatre inside. The domes for observing the stars still work perfectly but the Observatory no longer carries out scientific research (other Italian and foreign institutes have proven to be more efficient) however it remains an important national center for theoretical and positional astronomy.