Entrance to the Palace
The Palace: Architecture and Patronage
The building was purchased by Marquis Giuseppe Serra in 1679 and was renovated at the end of the 1710s. The construction was halted with the death of Giuseppe Maria Serra in 1726 and resumed a decade later, on the occasion of the marriage between Laura Serra (1723-1790), Duchess of Cassano, and her Genoese cousin Giuseppe Maria Serra (1714-1763). Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748) is traditionally credited with designing a significant part of the new structure, including the octagonal entrance courtyard, which, through its monumental arch, leads to the grand staircase. Originally, the visual continuity between these two spaces—now interrupted by a glass partition—was a crucial element in the architect’s design. Many of Sanfelice’s ideas were realized posthumously: between the 1750s and 1770s, the Palace expanded through the acquisition of adjacent buildings and land, with Giuseppe Astarita (1707-1775) contributing to the completion of the octagonal courtyard, the main facade on Via Egiziaca, and the two rusticated portals on Via Monte di Dio. Bernardo De Dominici (1683-1759), the foremost biographer of Neapolitan artists, vividly described the theatrical impact the courtyard must have had on visitors in the mid-18th century: arches housing "gardens of citrus trees" and an upper loggia where one could "stroll at the same level as the grand apartment."
The Palace: Architecture and Patronage
The building was purchased by Marquis Giuseppe Serra in 1679 and was renovated at the end of the 1710s. The construction was halted with the death of Giuseppe Maria Serra in 1726 and resumed a decade later, on the occasion of the marriage between Laura Serra (1723-1790), Duchess of Cassano, and her Genoese cousin Giuseppe Maria Serra (1714-1763). Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748) is traditionally credited with designing a significant part of the new structure, including the octagonal entrance courtyard, which, through its monumental arch, leads to the grand staircase. Originally, the visual continuity between these two spaces—now interrupted by a glass partition—was a crucial element in the architect’s design. Many of Sanfelice’s ideas were realized posthumously: between the 1750s and 1770s, the Palace expanded through the acquisition of adjacent buildings and land, with Giuseppe Astarita (1707-1775) contributing to the completion of the octagonal courtyard, the main facade on Via Egiziaca, and the two rusticated portals on Via Monte di Dio. Bernardo De Dominici (1683-1759), the foremost biographer of Neapolitan artists, vividly described the theatrical impact the courtyard must have had on visitors in the mid-18th century: arches housing "gardens of citrus trees" and an upper loggia where one could "stroll at the same level as the grand apartment."
dei due ambienti, oggi spezzata dalla vetrata, doveva essere cruciale nel progetto originario dell’architetto. Molte delle idee di Sanfelice furono realizzate dopo la sua morte: tra gli anni cinquanta e settanta del Settecento il palazzo fu ampliato grazie all’acquisizione di immobili e terreni limitrofi, e Giuseppe Astarita (1707-1775) contribuì a completarne il cortile ottagonale, il prospetto principale su Via Egiziaca e la facciata e i due portali a bugne su Via Monte di Dio. Bernardo De Dominici (1683-1759), il principale biografo degli artisti napoletani, alla metà del Settecento descrive in maniera suggestiva l’aspetto
teatrale che il cortile doveva rivelare ai suoi visitatori: con archi che ospitavano “giardini di agrumi”, e una loggia superiore dove “vi si poteva passeggiare in piano dall’appartamento maggiore”.
A Baroque Masterpiece
Housed in a spacious, luminous hall with rounded corners and a pavilion vault, the grand staircase leading to the noble floor of the Palace is one of the most celebrated examples of Southern Italian Baroque architecture. Traditionally attributed to Ferdinando Sanfelice, the staircase was likely built in the late 1730s. A signed document preserved in the Serra family archive attests to the architect’s meticulous attention to every detail of the project. With its commanding position and transparent openings, the staircase dominates the Palace’s perspective, guiding the observer’s gaze to embrace the entire spatial composition of the building. The theatrical arrangement of the two symmetrical flights is emphasized by the scroll-like moldings of the three central arches, which imbue the architecture with dynamic movement, as well as by the striking contrast between the rustic piperno stone used for the structure and the refined statuary marble of the balustrades and vegetal friezes.
Luigi Serra and the Family’s Art Collection
Luigi Serra (1747-1825), the fourth Duke of Cassano, was a man deeply inclined toward the liberal arts. In the mid-1760s, one of the most sought-after painters among the Neapolitan aristocracy, Carlo Amalfi (1707-1787), was commissioned to create a series of high-quality family portraits, recently rediscovered. These paintings depict the nineteen-year-old Luigi, his brother Pasquale, and their parents Giuseppe Maria (1714-1763) and Laura Serra (1723-1790). Recently unearthed inventories from the 1830s reveal the extraordinary art collection amassed by the Serra family within the Palace. The collection comprised more than a hundred paintings, 1,200 drawings, and an astonishing 26,000 prints. This remarkable ensemble was dispersed in the mid-19th century after an acquisition attempt by the Royal Bourbon Museum failed. Among the collection’s masterpieces was an extraordinary drawing by the Spanish artist Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652), titled Study of a Bat and Two Ears, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
A New Antiquity
This spacious antechamber was once a billiard room. Above the doors, golden arabesque frames enclose paintings of dancing Maenads inspired by Pompeian models, reflecting the decorative flair of Giacomo del Po (1654-1726). Notable elements include a precious Murano glass chandelier, featuring three tiers of arms adorned with garlands and pendants, as well as two gilded and intricately carved wooden consoles, with goat-shaped legs and shell motifs, dating back to the last quarter of the 18th century. The decoration of the adjacent Landscape Room likely dates to the renovations commissioned in 1866 by Duke Francesco Serra and his wife Clotilde Giusso del Galdo. In addition to pastoral scenes, the lyre-shaped ornaments above the doors recall the room’s past function as the auditorium of the Philharmonic Society of Nobles.
From Art Gallery to Music Hall
Originally, the Hall of Mirrors housed the rich painting collection of the Serra di Cassano family, most of which was dispersed in the early 19th century. In a refined neoclassical style, the room is adorned with mirrors and panels featuring arabesques and festoons. In 1862, it was partitioned into smaller apartments, but later restored by architect Antonio Francesconi at the initiative of Duke Francesco Serra and Clotilde Giusso del Galdo. From 1874 to 1892, it served as the music hall of the Philharmonic Society of Nobles. After World War II, Duke Francesco di Cassano and Elena Parodi Delfino restored it once again, converting it into a ballroom and reception hall. A door at the back leads to a private room housing the Serra di Cassano Historical Archive, which preserves important documents on the family and the Palace’s construction and decoration from the 16th to the 19th century.
Rocaille Splendor
Likely used as an audience hall, this room contains the Palace’s most exquisite decorative cycle, dedicated to the deeds of Scipio Africanus and created by Giacinto Diano (1731-1804), a student of Francesco De Mura (1696-1782) and a leading figure of Neapolitan Rococo. The painter fully captured the essence of the rocaille style: a balanced composition, the graceful gestures of the figures, vibrant colors, and delicate chiaroscuro effects in the monochrome scenes.
Hospitality and Elegance
As a formal reception hall, this gallery is decorated with classical-inspired reliefs and monochrome mythological paintings above the doors and mirrors. Some of the original furniture remains, including two semicircular consoles with three legs, as well as sofas and chairs in green and gold lacquered wood.
The Cavalier Calabrese and Illusory Perspectives
The room takes its name from The Judgment of Solomon by Mattia Preti (1613-1699), one of the leading figures of Italian Baroque painting. The ceiling’s architectural perspectives were painted by Giovan Battista Natali, an Emilian quadraturist who moved to the Neapolitan court of Charles III in 1749 and worked for the Serra di Cassano family until 1757.
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