The bar in Naples hidden behind a painting of the Bourbons with monzu dishes and drinks

There can be a world behind a painting. But also a bar. Yes, in Naples, behind a huge canvas depicting the Battle of Gaeta in which Charles of Bourbon defeated the Austrians on August 6th 1734, there is the warmth, the life, the frenzy of a bar that is inspired by the celebration of the Bourbons. As the promoters of the venue overlooking via Scarlatti 30, in the Vomero area say - “with the Bourbons, the southern Italins were for the last time a people loved, respected and feared throughout the world. At a historical economic and political moment like this, it is more necessary than ever to explain to Italians, and to Neapolitans in particular, the real causes of the age-old Southern question that began precisely in the aftermath of Italy’s unification in 1860”.

Bar Archivio Storico: an ode to the Bourbons

In the bar - Archivio Storico is its name, which also well expresses the intention to bear witness to the glorious history of the capital of the Campania region - is also a series of paintings that cover the ceiling and tell the story of the Bourbons in Naples. A huge designer display case offers, as in a library, spirits and liqueurs to be used in the mixology proposal.

Notalgia of the Kingdom of Naples

The Triumph of Don Carlo di Borbone at the Battle of Gaeta with its three-metre height is the sliding door behind which hides the extraordinary world of Archivio Storico, a café with five main rooms all dedicated to the five Bourbon Kings of the Two Sicilies with their respective Queens, up to the images of the last pretender to the throne of the Two Sicilies, the heir apparent, His Royal Highness Prince Carlo di Borbone, Duke of Castro and Grand Master of all the Dynastic Orders. The project was spearheaded by two Neapolitan entrepreneurs, Luca and Antonello Iannuzzi, who relied on the knowledge of Gennaro De Crescenzo and Salvatore Lanza, respectively President and Secretary General of the Neo-Bourbon Movement, who retraced the entire history and reconstructed the nostalgic vein towards the “Neapolitan sovereigns” of times past.

Dishes and drinks dedicated to the Monzù

The menus of the Historical Archive, both dishes and drinks, could only revolve around the panegyric of the Bourbons, of course, and therefore classic Neapolitan cuisine inspired by the tradition of the Monzù, the gastronomic soul of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Of course, who knows whether Charles of Bourbon would have liked sous-vide eggplant parmigiana! Or whether in Gaeta, after the battle, he would have enjoyed celebrating his victory with a swordfish millefeuille, smoked provola and basil, velvety clam sauce and a brunoise of auburn tomatoes... Surely, though, he would have appreciated the cocktail menu dedicated to his lineage (5 Martinis inspired by the 5 kings (and queens) of the Bourbon house. And certainly, they would not have disdained to taste the cocktails inspired by the patisserie of the Monzù, the head chefs of the noble houses of Campania, and the gastronomy in vogue in the Kingdom of Naples.