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Historic villa / palace
Villa Carafa of Belvedere
Building in Naples, Italy
At a glance
- Architect
- Bonaventura Presti
- Coordinates
- 40°50′26″ N, 14°13′35″ E
History and description
The Villa Carafa of Belvedere, formerly known as Palazzo Vandeneynden,
and also known as Villa Belvedere,
is a monumental villa in Naples, located in the hilly Vomero district. The villa was commissioned by the powerful magnate, nobleman and art collector Ferdinando Vandeneynden, also known as Ferdinand van den Eynde, from the Carthusian architect Bonaventura Presti.
History
The villa was built at the end of 17th century as an "out of town" palace by the wealthy Flemish merchant and banker (who was awarded the title of Marquis of Castelnuovo and married the noblewoman Olimpia Piccolomini, nephew of Cardinal Celio) Ferdinando Vandeneynden, or Ferdinand van den Eynde, son of the wealthy merchant Jan van den Eynde, on the western slope of the Vomero hill, in what is now via Belvedere.
The Netherlandish nobleman, whose father had chosen Naples as his residence and the place wherein establishing his own business (like many other powerful Northern European traders), had previously commissioned from a Carthusian monk the renovation of numerous patrician residences in the city (among which the Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano, which had been acquired by his father Jan); however, Villa Belvedere, which Van den Eynde ordered him to realize from scratch, is perhaps the only work entirely done by this architect-friar, whose name was Bonaventura Presti.
The Vandeneynden palace was built between 1671 and 1673 according to the design of Presti. Located at the end of a long tree-lined avenue, with its entrance on the via del Vomero (via Belvedere), the building develops on two levels with a polygonal system with a courtyard closed on three sides, opening into a loggia to the west, in the direction of the hill of Posillipo. The whole project was based essentially on perspective, and it was strongly influenced by the surrounding landscape, with the Gulf of Naples to the south, and Posillipo to the west.
The Vandeneynden palace became Villa Carafa di Belvedere in 1688, when Elizabeth, daughter of the Marquis Vandeneynden, who died of consumption in 1674, married Charles Carafa IV, Prince of Belvedere.
The Carafas improved the villa by adding loggias overlooking the panorama of the gulf. Along the tree-lined avenue, which, as mentioned, constituted the access to the villa, sheds and stables were arranged, as well as an elegant 18th-century well in marble. …
Architecture and current state of conservation
The architecture of the villa, as it appears today, is the result of about five centuries of stratification, with works and adjustments that have followed one another according to taste, both of the architects and the clients involved.
The contemplation of this building allows, even today, to recognize the original elements, as well as the extensions and modifications executed during the 18th century. The latter have exalted the idea of its relationship with nature, which was a fundamental aspect of the original project, and which survives today despite the most recent alterations.
Villa Belvedere represents a unique example of the oldest history of its neighborhood, Vomero. It is around this structure, in fact, that the ancient Villaggio del Vomero developed. Over the centuries, there were numerous travelers who became fascinated with it, to the point of immortalizing it in painting, drawings and sketches. Designed to open up to the surrounding nature, it is today squeezed between the buildings that have deprived it of its greenery. However, the villa still faces the Gulf of Naples.
Comparing Duke Carafa of Noja's plan of 1775 with the view of the first Carafa's architects (ca. 1698), it is possible to discern the transformations that mark the passage from Palazzo Vandeneynden to Villa Carafa of Belvedere. It is possible to discern the progressive arrangement of the whole structure, starting from the entrance on the via del Vomero where an exedra was built (right in front of the ancient portal in peperino) to make it easier for carriages to access.
The pre-existing avenue leads to a portico, which encloses a semi-elliptical courtyard facing the north facade of the building. The loggia is connected to the main floor and acts as an element of mediation between the avenue itself and the access to the building, without interrupting the perspective axis that from the entrance crosses the entire structure as well as the terrace garden. The garden, bordered by a peperino balustrade with marble columns, is surrounded to the east by a long portico closed by glass walls, used as a greenhouse. The rooms on the piano nobile are projected towards the panorama via the large level terraces placed to the side of the northern and southern elevations. …
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Villa Carafa of Belvedere».
People
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Napoli Piazza AmedeoTrain, nearest
600 m as the crow flies
Villa Carafa of Belvedere
Molo Mergelina1.3 km
Aeroporto di Napoli Capodichino7.1 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore historic villas and palaces in Campania
- UNESCO
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Frequently asked questions
Where is Villa Carafa of Belvedere?
Villa Carafa of Belvedere is in Naples, in the province of Napoli (Campania), Italy. GPS coordinates: 40.84063, 14.22637.
What else is there to see near Villa Carafa of Belvedere?
Nearby you’ll find: Villa Floridiana (300 m away), Museo nazionale della ceramica Duca di Martina (400 m away), Villa Lucia (500 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 6 photos
- Villa Belvedere da via Aniello Falcone — Original uploader was Johnnyrotten at it.wikipedia, Public domain
- Villa Carafa di Belvedere - 1293 — Johnnyrotten, Public domain
- Emiciclo Villa Belvedere - Sera — Johnnyrotten, Public domain
- Terrazza di Villa Belvedere100 1295 — Johnnyrotten, Public domain
- Villa Belvedere 100 4355 — Johnnyrotten, Public domain
- Villa Belvedere mura2 — Johnnyrotten, Public domain
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences