Palazzo Zevallos: the jewel of Via Toledo

About this activity

Among the historic streets of central Naples, a beautiful monumental palace stands on Via Toledo: Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano. The name derives from its first owner, Giovanni Zevallos, although the palace also belonged to many other owners over time, until it was acquired by the Intesa San Paolo group.

The palace houses the museum gallery of the same name where numerous works by painters from the Neapolitan School, the Posillipo School and Resina are displayed. Sculptures, pencil and charcoal drawings by Vincenzo Gemito are the most recently acquired works, but Caravaggio's last work, "The Martyrdom of St. Ursula" from 1610, stands out among them all.

Why visit the Zevallos Palace of Toledo

Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano is one of the major monumental palaces in Naples. Erected on one of the most populated and bustling streets in the historic center, it houses a valuable museum gallery owned by theIntesa San Paolo, which consists of works of art of exceptional beauty.

Austere and imposing, already from the entrance one is overwhelmed by a particular suggestion in visiting this unmissable palace. Its rusticated portal in marble and piperno by Cosimo Fanzago is truly majestic and allows access to a large entrance hall. The hall, by Luigi Platani, has a glazed ceiling from which a special light penetrates and envelops the visitor. To the right of the great hall, a monumental grand staircase, decorated with large lamps and gilded stucco in 19th-century taste, leads to the upper floor. This, called the Piano nobile, is enriched by the presence of Art Nouveau lamps while in the center of its great vault, one can admire the "Apotheosis of Sappho" by G. Cammarano. The walls, on the other hand, are painted in tempera by Gennaro Maldarelli, a close collaborator of Cammarano.

A very impressive place indeed enriched by elegant pictorial decorations in every corner of the museum. It enchants its visitors and leaves them spellbound by the grandeur of the artistic works displayed in its colorful halls.

The Exhibition Halls

The monumental staircase leads to the Main Floor where the museum galleries belonging to its present owner, Intesa San Paolo, are displayed, with about 120 works including paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The galleries are housed in halls With incredible colors.

The Hall of Amorini astonishes with its late 19th-century decorations. Next you enter the Still life room immediately followed by the Hall of the Birds, also decorated with floral and animal motifs and where some Neapolitan views can be admired. The Pompeian Hall, on the other hand, takes its name from the classical subjects depicted in the tempera decorations that characterize this space. The verdant Hall of Allegiance is so called because there is a pictorial representation of virtue on its vault. Finally, the last room is that of Luca Giordano and Francesco De Mura. In the Stucchi Hall, on the other hand, is perhaps the most representative of the rooms since Caravaggio's famous "Martyrdom of St. Ursula" is displayed in this one.

Values and works in the palace

On December 13, 1898, the penultimate chapter of the building's history began when the Italian Commercial Bank purchased the first main floor and other rooms owned by the Forquet family.

At the end of the 1900s, restoration work began that drastically transformed the face of the building: the palace courtyard became a large hall with elegant polychrome glass and floral decorations; the mezzanine floor was enriched with Art Nouveau balconies; and finally an imposing marble grand staircase was erected to lead to the upper floors.

Today the Gallerie d'Italia in Naples exhibits numerous works dating from the early seventeenth century to the early twentieth century.

Fast forward to the 2000s: today the Gallerie d'Italia in Naples exhibits. more than 120 works that allow us to retrace the salient events of the figurative arts in the city, from the beginnings of the seventeenth century to the early twentieth century.

The most important things to know about the Zevallos Stigliano Palace

Exhibitions and events are continuously organized within Palazzo Zevallos. The Gallerie d'Italia. of which Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano is part, engages in activities aimed at people with disabilities and audiences with special cognitive and social needs. Paths aimed at accessibility are adapted to the special needs of all users.

Since 2015, tactile books with relief plates and short educational cards in Braille have been available at the museum's ticket office to enable visitors to explore much of the collection independently, while in 2018 the rooms were enriched with three-dimensional reproductions of three sculptural busts by Vincenzo Gemito. It is possible to book a guided tour dedicated to the blind and visually impaired, and there is a guided tour service in Italian Sign Language, at the conclusion of an important training program involving the Ente Nazionale Sordi.

After participating in the last edition in 2017, the Gallerie d'Italia - Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano renews its membership in the Biennale ArteInsieme - culture and cultures without barriers 2019, promoted by the Omero State Tactile Museum.

The history and owners of Palazzo Zevallos

The first owner of Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano was a Spanish merchant: John Zevallos who in 1639 entrusted the construction of his new home to the royal architect and engineer, Bartolomeo Picchiatti. The palace still owes its name to the Spanish merchant today.

During 1647, the building was stormed and set on fire. In addition, debts incurred by the Zevallos forced them to sell their mansion to the merchants Vandeneynden. It was thanks to this family that one of the largest Neapolitan collections of the 17th century began in the palace on Via Toledo. Also carried out by the Carthusian architect Bonaventura Presti was the work on the magnificent rusticated portal, with its beautiful color effects of piperno juxtaposed with ivory-colored marble.

In 1688 Joan and Elizabeth Vandeneynden, married Giuliano Colonna and Carlo Carafa di Belvedere, respectively, and the property passed to the Column of Stigliano. The residence was at the center of the city's aristocratic life, often welcoming the Neapolitan nobility and the viceregal family itself.

In 1831 the princess of Stigliano, Donna Cecilia Ruffo put the palace up for sale.

Donna Cecilia kept the second piano nobile for herself, the banker Carlo Forquet occupied the first piano nobile, and the knight Ottavio de Piccolellis united two previously separate lodgings on the mezzanine floor into a single apartment.

On December 13, 1898, Banca Commerciale Italiana purchased the first piano nobile and other rooms owned by the Forquet family.