Palazzo del Viceconte

Overlooking the old central square of Cerreto Sannita, today Corso Giuseppe D'Andrea, the palazzo was built after the 1688 earthquake by the woollen-cloth merchant Nicola Mendillo and remained partly unfinished. In the early 18th century it was granted to the Carafa counts as the residence of the viceconte (the count's deputy), who exercised police powers here, so much so that for the people of Cerreto it became the symbol of feudal oppression.In 1759 it passed to the Della Fazia brothers, who embellished it with stucco work, and then to the dialect poet Domenico Capuano. We like the diamond-point portal, perhaps from old Cerreto, off-centre because the original design included two more entrances. We also recommend noticing the façade decorations, restored in 2008, and the terrace supported by tall stone arches.