Palazzo Cellammare, Renaissance palace in San Ferdinando district, Naples, Italy
Palazzo Cellammare is a Renaissance palace in San Ferdinando featuring a baroque portal made of lava stone and a fortified facade with smooth ashlar details. An extensive garden occupies the rear section of the property.
The palace was built in the early 1500s for Abbot Giovanni Francesco Carafa and underwent extensive renovations in 1531 under Ferdinando Manlio. These early transformations established the structure that visitors see today.
The palace served as a gathering place for Neapolitan nobility in the 18th century, drawing prominent visitors from across Europe. The rooms where these social events took place remain visible to visitors today.
The building is divided into separate residential sections that reflect different periods of occupation. Visitors should allow time to explore both the interior rooms and the rear garden area.
When plague struck Naples in 1656, the Carafa family opened the palace to monks from nearby Sant'Orsola church who used it as a hospital. This unexpected role as a sanctuary reveals a human side often hidden behind noble walls.
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