The ''Bourbon Hospice for the Poor'' ( it, Albergo Reale dei Poveri), also called ''il Reclusorio'', is a former public hospital/almshouse in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, southern Italy. It was designed by the architect

Ferdinando Fuga Ferdinando Fuga (11 November 1699 – 7 February 1782) was an Italian architect who was born in Florence, and is known for his work in Rome and Naples. Much of his early work was in Rome, notably, the Palazzo della Consulta (1732–7) at the Quiri ...

, and construction began in 1751. It is five storeys tall and approximately long. It was popularly known as "Palazzo Fuga". King

Charles III of the House of Bourbon it, Carlo Sebastiano di Borbone e Farnese , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Elisabeth Farnese , birth_date = 20 January 1716 , birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain , death_d ...

meant the facility to house the destitute and ill, as well as to provide a self-sufficient community where the poor could live, learn trades, and work. The massive Hospice at one time housed over 5000 persons, men and women, in separate wings A new guide of Naples, its environs, Procida, Ischia and Capri: Compiled ...By Giovanni Battista de Ferrari and Mariano Vasi. 1826. Tipografia de Porcelli, Naples. Page 257

/ref> The building is the centre of Naples, which is included in World Heritage List, UNESCO World Heritage List. The building was originally designed with five courtyards and a church in the centre, entered through the central arch, but only the three innermost courtyards were built, and plans to complete the building according to the original design were finally abandoned in 1819. The Map of the Duke of Noja from 1755, one of the key maps documenting the city of Naples noted for its accuracy — but used also as an urban planning tool, the Hospice is depicted with its projected complete footprint, as a rectangle, 600 meters long and 150 meters wide. As noted, its construction was interrupted in 1819 when the facility had only reached a length of 384 meters. The structure is no longer a hospital; despite its impressive facade, it has suffered from earthquake damage and general neglect. The central area behind the entrance is used for exhibitions, conferences, and concerts. The façade underwent a restoration in 2006 as part of an as yet ill-defined plan to incorporate the facility into the working infrastructure of public buildings in Naples.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ospedale L'albergo Reale Dei Poveri, Naples Residential buildings completed in the 18th century Almshouses Palaces in Naples Baroque palaces in Italy Baroque architecture in Naples Defunct hospitals in Italy 18th century in Naples Tourist attractions in Naples