Palazzo del Banco di Napoli, Financial palace in Via Toledo, Naples, Italy
The Palazzo del Banco di Napoli is a monumental structure along Via Toledo featuring grand arches, large windows, and a gray stone facade with travertine marble. Inside, the building spans multiple floors with varied spaces, including a remarkable staircase and assembly hall.
The Banco di Napoli's headquarters stood in Palazzo San Giacomo, built in the early 19th century by Stefano Gasse on the site of a convent, a hospital area and the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli. In the 1930s, under director Giuseppe Frignani and for the bank's 400th anniversary, the northern wing and most of Gasse's iron-and-glass gallery were demolished. Marcello Piacentini designed the new building, completed in the rationalist style.
Since 2022 the palace has housed the Naples branch of Gallerie d'Italia (Intesa Sanpaolo), moved here from the nearby Palazzo Zevallos. The museum occupies about 4,000 m² of exhibition space. The building itself was the seat of the Banco di Napoli, formerly Banco delle Due Sicilie, whose original headquarters stood in Palazzo San Giacomo.
The building functions as a museum open to visitors during regular hours, with exhibitions spread across multiple levels. Comfortable shoes are recommended since the layout includes numerous stairs and different floor levels.
The second floor holds the Salone delle assemblee, lit by large windows and lined with marble from Ethiopia. In the 1980s Nicola Pagliara advanced the facade and added two fountains, planters and marble benches along Via Toledo. A rectangular square in front of the building was planned but dropped because it would have demolished part of the Quartieri Spagnoli.
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