The ''Palazzo delle Poste'' (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

: "Post Office Palace") is located in Piazza Matteotti in central

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. It is an example of architecture completed during the

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

government of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

. Another such example is the nearby '' Palazzo della Casa del Mutilato'' and the adjacent Palazzo della Questura (Police Headquarters) on via Medina. Just north and across the street on via Monteoliveto is the 16th-century Palazzo Orsini di Gravina. To make way for the building, houses from the ''

rione A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...

'' of San Giuseppe-Carità were demolished in 1930. Construction began in 1928 under

Costanzo Ciano Costanzo Ciano, 1st Count of Cortellazzo (; 30 August 1876 – 26 June 1939) was an Italian naval officer and politician. He was the father of Galeazzo Ciano. Biography Early life Born at Livorno, he was the son of Raimondo Ciano and his wife, ...

, head of the Ministry of Communications; when finally completed in 1936, it was inaugurated by the minister,

Antonio Stefano Benni Antonio Stefano Benni (18 April 1880 – 27 December 1945) was an Italian entrepreneur and politician who served as President of the General Confederation of Italian Industry from 1923 until 1934. Biography His father, a financial intendant, di ...

. The design was by the Bolognese architect Giuseppe Vaccaro, and was influenced by the Rationalist style of Italian architecture promoted by

Marcello Piacentini Marcello Piacentini (8 December 188119 May 1960) was an Italian people, Italian urban theorist and one of the main proponents of Italian Fascist architecture. Biography Early career Born in Rome, he was the son of architect Pio Piacentini. He ...

. The architect Gino Franzi modified and completed the final building. The design incorporated the adjacent cloister of Monteoliveto into the complex. On October 7, 1943, a few days after the Four Days of Naples, the ''Palazzo delle Poste'' suffered a violent explosion, leaving many people dead or wounded. It is thought that the building had been mined with timed fuses by the retreating German army.Aldo Stefanile, ''I cento bombardamenti di Napoli. I giorni delle am-lire'', Naples Marotta, 1968 The attic now has a museum in honor of Vincenzo Tucci, a journalist for ''

Il Mattino ''Il Mattino'' (English: "The Morning") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Naples, Italy. History and profile ''Il Mattino'' was first published on 16 March 1892 by the journalists Edoardo Scarfoglio and Matilde Serao. Since 1999, the ...

''. In the lobby, which rises nearly the full height of the building, there is a sculpture dedicated to the "fallen" by Arturo Martini.

References

{{reflist, 2 *A cura di Sergio Stenti con Vito Cappiello, ''NapoliGuida-14 itinerari di Architettura moderna'', Clean, 1998.
Emeroteca Tucci
Poste Italian fascist architecture

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

Buildings and structures completed in 1936 1936 establishments in Italy