Palazzo Avena, Palace in Spaccanapoli district, Naples, Italy
Palazzo Avena is a palace in the Spaccanapoli district with neoclassical architecture and a lowered arch entrance displaying the Capone family crest. The building sits on Via Benedetto Croce and features a courtyard with a neoclassical garden house and a small chapel inside.
The palace was given to the Venetian Republic by King Ladislaus I in 1412 and later served as an embassy building. Over the centuries it underwent multiple restorations, with significant work done in the 17th century.
The palace carries the name of a family that once called it home, reflecting the social world of Naples's upper class over time. Inside, the rooms reveal how wealthy families in the city lived and maintained their status across generations.
The palace is accessed through an eighteenth-century stairway with three arches that serves as the main entrance. The building sits among other historic structures in a busy area, so checking your location beforehand helps with navigation.
Hidden in the courtyard is a small shrine called Mary's cave that echoes the sacred spaces found in ancient Pompeii. This private chapel reveals how religious devotion was woven into the everyday life of the wealthy families who lived here.
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