Donn’Anna Palace
Palazzo Donn’Anna was designed and built in 1642 by the architect Cosimo Fanzago at the request of Anna Carafa, Princess of Stigliano and wife of the Viceroy Ramiro Núñez de Guzmán, Duke of Medina de las Torres. Its construction remained unfinished due to the Viceroy’s return to Spain and the subsequent death of Anna Carafa.
The palace rises directly from the sea and embodies the need to coexist with it. Fanzago conceived a design inspired by the architectural principles of 16th-century Venice, a city that has always lived in close dialogue with water.
Of particular architectural interest is the Theatre, now home to the Foundation, separated from the sea by three imposing arches. Much of the space was carved directly into the tuff rock and extends as a gallery over the water, offering an extraordinary view of the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius.
The Theatre was purchased by De Felice in 1958, when it still lay in a state of total abandonment: the three large seaside arches had no windows, leaving it exposed to wind, rain, and storms; water seepage blackened the vault, damaging stuccoes and plaster. Thanks to a demanding and meticulous restoration project and the skilled work of architect De Felice, the Theatre regained its Baroque splendor after three centuries. Before becoming the headquarters of the Foundation, it served for many years as De Felice’s studio, where numerous architects and designers worked, and where the architect conceived and carried out many of his projects.
Palazzo Donn’Anna, though unfinished, has over the centuries acquired the spectacular allure of an ancient ruin, becoming a true icon of Naples. Perched on the Posillipo coastline, it is beloved by Neapolitans also for the aura of legends that have always surrounded it.
