The Palazzo Ricca is a monumental palace, located on the southernmost end of Via dei Tribunali #231, in central

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, region of Campania, Italy. It presently houses the archives of the Foundation of the Istituto

Banco di Napoli Banco di Napoli S.p.A., among the oldest banks in the world, was an Italian banking subsidiary of Intesa Sanpaolo group, as one of the 6 retail brands other than "Intesa Sanpaolo". It was acquired by the Italian banking group Sanpaolo IMI (the p ...

. The palace is just down the street from the entrance to

Castel Capuano Castel Capuano is a castle in Naples, southern Italy. It takes its name from the fact that it was at that point in the city walls where the road led out to the city of Capua. The castle is at the southwest end of via dei Tribunali, and until re ...

History

The palace once housed the Banco dei Poveri (Bank of the Poor) arose between the sixteenth century in Naples, and along with nearly eight other such institutions, it was later consolidated into the

. These institutions served as pawnshops, almshouses, and in the case of the Banco dei Poveri, the proximity to the courts at the ''Vicaria'' (Castel Capuano) meant that they often serves as bails-bondsmen. A story, perhaps apocryphal, by Carlo Cerano about the origins of the bank support the latter function. The bank staff was composed of lay religious congregations, and its funds were amassed through alms, income from rental properties, and donations, in the latter case, often of inheritances. The Neapolitan Banco dei Poveri was in competition with the Neapolitan

Monte di Pietà A mount of piety is an institutional pawnbroker run as a charity in Europe from Renaissance times until today. Similar institutions were established in the colonies of Catholic countries; the Mexican Nacional Monte de Piedad is still in operation ...

- the first Monte in Naples, built in 1539, which made loans without charging interest, to avoid usury injunctions. The palace now houses the historical archives of the Banco di Napoli. The palace was bought for nearly 10,000 ducats by the Monte e Banco dei Poveri in 1616 from Gaspare Ricca. In 1787, the adjacent palace was bought from the heirs of Don Pietro Cuomo. The palace was restructured by Giovanni Conforto, and underwent a number of reconstructions. The present late-

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

facade was designed by Gaetano Barba. The architect

Ferdinando Sanfelice Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675 – 1 April 1748) was an Italian late Baroque architect and painter. Sanfelice was born in Naples and died there. He was one of the principal architects in Naples in the first half of the 18th century. He was a stude ...

designed the interlacing staircases seen in the courtyard. The Chapel of the Congregation of Monte dei Poveri (Cappella della Congregazione di Monte dei Poveri) in the courtyard was designed in 1663 by Don Giuseppe

Caracciolo Caracciolo () is an Italian surname most associated with the noble House of Carácciolo from the Kingdom of Naples. Other people with the name include: * Alberto Caracciolo, Argentinian musician * Andrea Caracciolo, Italian footballer * Battiste ...

. Nicola Trabucco completed the frescoes in the Audience Hall of the palace, and restored five canvases by

Belisario Corenzio Belisario Corenzio ( el, Βελισσάριος Κορένσιος 1558–1646) was a Greek-Italian painter, active in Venice and Naples. He is one of few Greek painters that did not belong to the Cretan Renaissance like his contemporaries of the ...

. These latter paintings have been moved.

Giacinto Diano Giacinto Diano or Diana (28 March 1731 – 13 August 1803) was an Italian painter, active in Southern Italy in a style that mixes Rococo and Neoclassicism. Life Giacinto was born in Pozzuoli, and died in Naples. He trained in the studio of France ...

frescoed the Council Hall. Other decorations were completed by Gaetano d’Aveta.Blogsite on Naples
Naples LDM.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricca, Naples Palaces in Naples Baroque architecture in Naples