Palazzo Pignatelli di Toritto, Renaissance palace in Naples, Italy

Palazzo Pignatelli di Toritto stands on Piazzetta Nilo in Naples, built for Cesare Pignatelli, baron of Orta and Toritto. Its 1499 Renaissance forms were largely covered in the 1736 Baroque remodelling that followed the rebuilding of the nearby Cappella di Santa Maria Assunta dei Pignatelli. Pignatelli coats of arms survive along the facade, and a painted family crest covers the entrance hall ceiling.

Cesare Pignatelli, baron of Orta and Toritto, commissioned the palace, built in 1499 in Renaissance style. In 1736 it was remodelled in Baroque style following the rebuilding of the nearby chapel of Santa Maria Assunta dei Pignatelli; the restoration covered the Renaissance forms, giving the building its present appearance. Probable remains of the Sedile di Nilo were found in the structure.

The palace takes its name from Cesare Pignatelli, baron of Orta and Toritto, who commissioned it. The family coat of arms survives as carved blazons along the facade, and a painted version covers the ceiling of the entrance hall, so the Pignatelli name is still legible on the building itself.

The palace stands on Piazzetta Nilo, a small square in the historic centre, reached on foot through the lanes around Via Nilo and Via San Biagio dei Librai. The nearby Cappella di Santa Maria Assunta dei Pignatelli, rebuilt before the 1736 remodelling, helps identify the block.

Inside the entrance hall, look up: the ceiling carries a painted coat of arms of the Pignatelli family, distinct from the carved crests on the facade. The building also incorporates probable remains of the Sedile di Nilo, the seat of the city's Nilo district administration.