- Via Armando Diaz 144 - 80055 - Portici (Na)
- info@villafernandes.it
- 081 7767901
- 081 7764707
- Italian
Welcome to this magical place with a courageous history, which we hope will amaze and fascinate you with the story of the many lives it has witnessed in just over 100 years.
Take a moment to relax in the outdoor spaces of this splendid villa. Enjoy the cool shade of thecenturies-old trees and the surrounding greenery, regenerating and peaceful, to take a break from,the noise of the city. Stroll calmly through the garden, among the well-tended and welcoming greenery, open to the public from morning until evening.
As you walk, let yourself be transported by the unique history of this place: a villa that has livedmany lives — from the splendour of its construction to its darkest moments under the control of organised crime, to its rebirth.
Today, Villa Fernandes is a common good, returned to the community, alive and open to all. Its architectural beauty remains intact, but its soul has changed: it is now a place of welcome, culture and participation.
At the beginning of the 20th century, in Portici, still surrounded by greenery and silence, a man named Alberico Aschettino, a Neapolitan commander, decided to build a villa for his family. He named it Villa Maria, in honour of his wife.
The villa was built in 1911 and, at the time, covered a much larger area than it does today. Alberico and Maria had three children – Antonino, Guido and Matilde – who lived in the villa for several decades.
Matilde inherited the property when she married Ugo Palumbo, and it was here that their first child, Chiara, was born. Their second daughter, Maria, was born in Naples in 1935.
Maria Palumbo, the only heir to the family, still jealously guards the memories of her grandmother and mother, which give us a picture of Villa Maria as a place of parties and conviviality for many years. According to Mrs Maria, the garden in front of the portico was often the scene of banquets and parties, with dozens of people enlivening the villa and the surrounding area. But it was also a place for family gatherings and everyday life, lived in a spirit of carefree joy and small moments of happiness.
Browse through the family photos of Mrs Maria.
Until the 1990s, Villa Fernandes was the villa we told you about. Then everything changed. It was bought — or rather, “snapped up” — by the Rea family, a Camorra clan from Giuliano. They turned it into a venue for weddings and ceremonies and renamed it with a name straight out of a film: Villa Le Cycas.
Rumours even circulated that Maradona was interested in buying it. But the deal never went through. Some people talk about ghosts.
Yes, that’s right: rumours circulated in Portici that the villa was haunted. And, apparently, Diego didn’t want to share his home with spirits.
In fact, the Fernandes lost ownership of the villa, which ended up in the hands of the Camorra. In 1998, the villa was seized by the state. Closed and unused, it even ended up in a parliamentary inquiry.
It was not until 2010 that something happened: the Curia of Naples, the Province, the Municipality of Portici and the S.O.L.E. Consortium signed an agreement to give it a new lease of life. The idea was to turn it into a reception centre, especially for those who had experienced difficult situations such as drug addiction.
In 2011, it was entrusted to Don Antonio Vitiello, founder of the association “La Tenda”, with the aim of creating a social centre. But despite good intentions, the villa remained there, closed, empty, still. Trapped in a limbo of legal quibbles and bureaucratic and management problems.
For years, the villa remained suspended in time. A beautiful but abandoned place, remembered by many only as a symbol of decay.
Then, finally, in 2014, something happened: one of the two outbuildings was entrusted to a local association to begin a process of social reuse. Shortly afterwards, the other outbuilding also found a new function: it welcomed young refugees and asylum seekers.
These were small but important signs. Signs of a reawakening.
But it was between 2017 and 2019 that the real turning point came: the municipality of Portici and a network of more than 20 third sector organisations (cooperatives, associations, social organisations and parishes) participated in a call for proposals for the enhancement of assets confiscated from organised crime in southern Italy to carry out exemplary projects.
Thus, in 2020, the “Villa Fernandes – un Bene Comune” (Villa Fernandes – a common good) project officially began. It is an ambitious initiative to restore a place that had been forgotten to the city.
The promoters of the call for proposals were the CON IL SUD Foundation and the Peppino Vismara Foundation, which financed the renovation and the initial activities.
Today, Villa Fernandes is a symbol of redemption.
One last interesting fact: during the renovation work, very long tunnels were discovered inside the property, leading to the lower part of the city.
What were they used for? Most likely to escape police raids. An underground escape system worthy of a film.
Today, those corridors are closed. But fortunately, the villa is more open than ever. Browse through the images of the rebirth of Villa Fernandes.
Our visit begins right here, at the large gate that leads into the villa. This is no ordinary gate: it is the only one of all the historic villas in Portici to have survived the requisitioning of metals during the Second World War.
At the time, all iron gates were dismantled to be melted down and used for the war industry. All of them… except this one.
The credit goes to Mr Fernandes, the villa’s owner at the time, who, thanks to his dual Italian and Spanish citizenship, managed to escape the so-called “Iron Campaign” ordered by the fascist regime.
And so, even today, this gate stands here, majestic and intact, protected and listed, a silent witness to a courageous choice and the history of an entire era.
As you approach the patio, Villa Fernandes reveals its unique character. But first, a small but significant sign of its current social commitment.
Just along the path leading from the entrance to the patio, on the right-hand side, there is a red bench. This is not just any bench, but a symbol against violence against women, inaugurated on 25 November 2022, on the World Day dedicated to this issue.
It was created by young students from the “Da Vinci – Comes” Institute, with the support of the “Seme di Pace” Social Cooperative, leader of the Villa Fernandes project, and the Municipality of Portici. A small work, but one with enormous significance.
Now look at the villa: you can immediately see that it is not like the others.
We are along what was once the Nuova Via Bellavista (now Via Armando Diaz), and while many of the residences built in this area embraced the Art Nouveau or Art Deco style, Villa Fernandes takes a different approach: it is inspired by the 16th-century Palladian villas designed by the famous architect Andrea Palladio.
The shapes are elegant, the proportions harmonious, and the central loggia and tympanum are reminiscent of classical temples, but with a lightness that makes it perfect for living.
The patio below is a place designed for socialising, eating, chatting or listening to music, just like in the Venetian country villas that inspired it.
Many people think that the main entrance is on the façade… but it isn’t. The historic entrance to the villa is on the right-hand side, discreet but essential.
Through that door, you enter a spectacular Art Nouveau spiral staircase that connects all the floors of the villa. If you find the door open, you can peek inside to take a look at this Art Nouveau masterpiece in marble and wrought iron.
On the ground floor, in this wing of the building, you will now find the reception area and spaces dedicated to all services for citizens, with more than 20 support and psychological help desks, which are completely free to use.
On the first floor, which once housed the bedrooms, there are now rooms for meetings, events, guidance, training and the Youth Services Centre.
Going up further, you reach the top floor, where the servants’ quarters once were. Today, these spaces house the operational offices of more than 20 third sector organisations: cooperatives, associations and social projects. It is a lively, vibrant place that is constantly changing.
Scroll through the images to see what Villa Fernandes looks like today.
Now go back and, passing through the central patio, enter the building. Here we are in the Empire Hall, the most elegant and spacious room in the villa.
Today, it is one of the most popular spaces, hosting events, exhibitions, meetings and the Dabliu Bistrò restaurant. However, it has not lost any of its historical charm.
The ceiling, for example, is entirely decorated in Art Nouveau style, with sinuous lines, bright colours, floral motifs and small cherubs that seem to float in a sky full of clouds.
It is a unique atmosphere, suspended between dream and refinement.
Scroll through the photos and walk to the left, leaving the Empire hall behind you, to find the current bar and lounge area. In the past, this was the villa’s dining room, as you can see in the period photo.
Although the original friezes and decorations are no longer there, the spaces have retained the same structure.
And what about the sliding glass door connecting the bar to the kitchen?
It is not the original one, but it is in the same place as it used to be: the one that connected the dining room to the service rooms.
Scroll through the images with all the vintage photos showing the interiors of the villa when it was still Villa Maria.
The tour ends right here, where the villa now welcomes, nourishes and engages visitors.
Villa Fernandes is not just a historic building: it is a space that lives in the present, open to the city, to people and to projects.
It is a common good that welcomes, connects and helps people, organisations, businesses, institutions and the local area to grow.
In 2023, Villa Fernandes is proposing a network agreement to the local community to lay the foundations for the construction of a community organisation. More than 50 organisations have already signed up, including social cooperatives, consortia, voluntary and social promotion associations, parishes, schools, institutions and citizens,
and the number is still growing.
The network’s numbers are growing: we currently have 232 volunteers, 273 jobs, 258 members and over 15,400 beneficiaries of our services.
At Villa Fernandes, the culture of encounter blends with innovation, offering the entire community a unique place to create synergies, develop projects and build new opportunities.
And now relax, perhaps over a coffee or a delicious dish prepared with love by the Dabliu kitchen. This is the perfect time to enjoy the atmosphere of a special place that still has many stories to tell.
