The Astronomical Observatory was built in 1819 in a neo-classical style. Founded by the astronomers, Giuseppe Piazzi and Federico Zuccari, it was the first such building in Europe designed to house scientific equipment for astronomical observation. The complex is situated near the Capodimonte Palace and consists of an archive, a restoration laboratory, a library and a historical museum showing astronomical instruments - the Blue Globe, the 16th Century Chlasner Clock, and prints, maps and clocks of the Neapolitan 18th Century. The domes that were used for observing the stars are still in working order.
