Sanfelice Palace in the Rione Sanità

About this activity

Sanfelice Palace, is an ancient palace of Naples, located in the Sanità District, inhabited by the family of its own designer Ferdinando Sanfelice. A symbolic place for the city of Naples, almost everyone, Neapolitan or not, has observed these unusual arches that characterize the palace.

Precisely because of the structure of the palace, the architect of Palazzo Sanfelice was nicknamed Ferdinando levat' a' sott, get out from under, because the arches looked unstable in the eyes of Neapolitans in the 1700s. Thus there was a widespread belief his works could collapse at any moment, but in spite of everything, nothing happened to these "unstable" structures over the centuries.

History of Sanfelice Palace

Ferdinando Sanfelice was a great innovator in civil architecture. He also oversaw the construction of the Palace of the Spaniard always in the Sanità neighborhood.

In 1724 the architect decided to leave the hectic center of Naples and head for the salubrious Sanità district, not coincidentally named after him. The architect refurbished an old palace purchased by the family, expanding and embellishing the original structure. The work was completed in 1728.

Two plaques commemorate Sanfelice's work, one on the portal of the old building that reads.

"Ferdinandus Sanfelicius patritius neapolitanus aedes nibliori opere restituit dilatavit ornavit"

that is, "Ferdinando Sanfelice Neapolitan patrician restored the house, with nobler works, enlarging and ornamenting it." and one on the side built later that says

"Ferdinandus Sanfelicius patr.neap. ob eximiam loci salubritatem hasce aedes ab solo excitavit item operis curator inventor et dominus. Anno domini MDCCXVIII."

that is, "Ferdinando Sanfelice, a Neapolitan patrician, because of the extraordinary healthiness of the place, built this house from the ground up. He was the designer, curator and owner of the work. Year of the Savior 1728."

Why visit Sanfelice Palace

Palazzo Sanfelice, with the shapes of the courtyards and staircases, no longer lateral but placed in front of the palace entrance, and with its wide ramps that allow a glimpse of the gardens behind the building, creates an extraordinary scenic effect, not to mention the portal adorned with decorative solutions of the caryatid sirens.

In the 1700s inside the palace there were numerous frescoes by Francesco Solimena and sculptural works by Giuseppe Sammartino, of which unfortunately nothing remains today.

During construction, the architect also paid homage to his wife, who was born in Lavagna, Liguria: he covered the entrance steps with lavagna stone, more commonly called slate.

Curiosities about Sanfelice Palace

The building, with its distinctive architecture, has often served as the backdrop for films and TV series, such as in the film adaptation of These Ghosts, by Eduardo de Filippo, to The four days of Naples by Nanni Loy, all the way to the Rai Uno script, Pupetta - Courage and Passion, with Manuela Arcuri. More recently he appears in some scenes in Gomorrah and in the movie The mayor of Rione Sanità by Mario Martone, but this is not the end of the story, here in Palazzo Sanfelice was also filmed the series Mina September, with Serena Rossi.