Palazzo Filippo d'Angiò

Walking along the Decumano Maggiore, immersed in the chaotic and authentic energy of Via dei Tribunali, all you have to do is look up to take a leap back in time over seven centuries. Hidden among baroque facades and the scents of local workshops stands Palazzo Filippo d'Angiò, also known as the Palazzo dell'Imperatore (Emperor's Palace): the oldest noble building in Naples.

Its grandeur is revealed through the majestic arches of the piperno stone portico, framing a splendid pointed portal—a very rare and precious testimony of Neapolitan Gothic architecture. The name "dell'Imperatore" evokes the story of its first owner, Filippo d'Angiò, Prince of Taranto and titular Emperor of Constantinople. However, these centuries-old stones also witnessed the great intellectual fervor of the Renaissance, hosting under their vaults the first meetings of the prestigious Accademia Pontaniana. Admiring the facade of this palace, discovering the 14th-century fresco of the Virgin Mary half-hidden among the arches, or the lily coat of arms in the courtyard, means touching the medieval soul of Naples firsthand: a stratified city where history is never erased, but continues to live proudly among the footsteps of those who cross it every day.