Cattaneo-Barberini Palace, Renaissance palace in Spanish Quarter, Naples, Italy
Cattaneo-Barberini Palace is a Renaissance building in Naples Spanish Quarter, spanning three floors with carefully designed architectural details. The structure displays a decorated stone portal and an arched entrance framed by two pillars at Via San Mattia 63, where original elements from its construction period remain intact.
The building transferred from the Cristiani family to the Mazzarotta family in the late 1700s, then passed to Francesco Cattaneo in 1874. These ownership changes reflect the shifting connections among Naples noble families during that era.
The entrance hall shows the Cattaneo coat of arms painted in frescoes, while a marble panel on the left wall displays the combined symbols of the Cattaneo and Barberini families. These decorations tell the story of the noble connections that shaped the building.
The building functions as a private residence and is not open to visitors from inside, so views are limited to the exterior facade. The architectural details and portal decoration can be observed from the street level on Via San Mattia.
Inside the courtyard sits an ancient fountain carved from a single block of volcanic stone that once served as a water trough for horses. This unusual feature reveals the practical details that were built into noble households.
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