In the heart of Naples's historic center, on Vico Cinquesanti, a short walk from the Forum/Agora of Neapolis, now Piazza San Gaetano, the house sits on the ancient structures of the Greco-Roman theater*.
The renovation, overseen by the architects and managers, has preserved its ancient soul through the valorization and recovery of the original construction and material elements. Furnishings and objects drawn from the site's rich artisanal and iconographic heritage, throughout the house's two levels, recreate the superimposition of the Roman Catholic church on the ancient Latin structures of the Greco-Roman city, in a sedimentary Naples that offers a layer for each era while maintaining its genius loci.
On the lower floor, echoing the theater below, are terracotta tragic and comic masks, Pulcinella masks—thought by some to be a descendant of Maccus, a character from the ancient Atellan comedies—amphorae, jars, mosaics, collections of statuettes from the Roman pantheon, and terracotta amphorae. The "Cave Canem" and "Cave Felem" rooms, inspired by the Latin domus, feature a higher central section, intimate alcoves veiled by curtains, and walls in Neapolitan yellow tuff. On the upper floor, embellished with antique wooden ceilings, the "Sancti" room is decorated with incense burners, terracottas, and watercolors depicting the saints dear to the Neapolitan people and for whom the alley is named, and the "Aquae Benedictae" room is adorned with ceramic holy water fonts. The beds here are tatami-style.
A delightful terrace offers a beautiful view of the alley, allowing you to immerse yourself in its atmosphere.
A few meters away, San Gregorio Armeno and the street of the nativity scene artisans, the entrance to the Naples Underground , the Church of San Lorenzo , the Cathedral and the Treasure of San Gennaro , the Sansevero Chapel , the Archaeological Museum , the new MADRE Museum of Contemporary Art .