Palazzo Ricciardelli

In the centre of Aiello del Sabato stands Palazzo Ricciardelli, built between the 15th and 16th centuries. It originally belonged to the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Montevergine, and it is said that Queen Joanna once stayed here. It later passed to the Ricciardelli family, whose coat of arms can still be seen above the main entrance; in the 1940s it was rented out as a carabinieri barracks.We love its unusual feature: it forms a single complex with the church of San Sebastiano, separated from it by a cloister, beneath which ran a passage once used by the nuns. Among its finest elements are the inner courtyard, the marble staircase, niches, doorways and finely worked stone. The palace is privately owned, so we suggest admiring its façade as you stroll through the village.