Palazzo della Dogana
Stand in Piazza Amendola and the Palazzo della Dogana gives you its facade straight: five arches on the lower level, four classical busts above them, two crouching lions at the corners gripping heraldic shields, and the whole composition flanked by a clock tower and a Habsburg obelisk. Cosimo Fanzago — the Bergamo-born architect who left his mark across Naples — redesigned this in 1657 at the commission of Francesco Marino I Caracciolo, 4th Prince of Avellino.
The building has been a medieval customs house, a grain-trade hub at the crossroads of three historic routes, a cinema, and a gutted shell since a fire on 17 November 1992. Restoration is underway, with a completion target at the end of 2025.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who pass through Piazza Amendola regularly tend to linger on which statues are originals — Diana, the Ephebe, the four imperial busts — and whether they'll end up back on the facade or inside the planned museum. The roof terrace, once open, will offer the city views and Fanzago's two-tone paving underfoot.
The story behind Palazzo della Dogana
A structure on this site is documented as early as 1007, positioned where the Via Beneventana, Via Pubblica Salernitana and Via Campania converged — a natural toll point on the grain route between Puglia and Naples. At its commercial peak it employed around a hundred staff and anchored the city's medieval market life.
Fanzago's 1657 Baroque overhaul gave it the sculptural program still visible today, though the 1732 earthquake damaged some statuary. The abolition of feudal rights on 2 August 1806 ended its original function; by the early twentieth century it had become the Cinema Umberto. The 1992 fire consumed the interior entirely, leaving the perimeter walls and facade sculptures standing.
Good to know
Buses 1–2, NA-AV, NO-AV and SITA all stop at Europa-Matteotti, two minutes away. The building is under active restoration and not reliably open; check locally before visiting. The exterior facade and piazza are accessible at any time.
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What travellers say about Palazzo della Dogana
The Old Customs House struck me for its historical value and its fascination with the city's commercial past. I appreciated the architectural structure and the atmosphere, which hark back to times when this building was a central hub for trade and goods inspection. Located in the Avellino area, it represents an interesting testimony to the local economic history, enriching our understanding of the city's past.
Nel cuore dell'antica Avellino si erge il Palazzo della Dogana, costruzione medievale che aveva funzioni commerciali. Rimaneggiato nel corso del settecento fu abbellito con nicchie e statue, lunette e busti marmorei. A cavallo della prima guerra mondiale fu trasformato in sala cinematografica, il cinema Umberto, fino al terribile incendio che nel 1992 lo distrusse. Dopo un pluridecennale restauro, che ne ha salvato la facciata, è di nuovo visibile dalla comunità.
In the process of undergoing major restoration, at the time of my visit
Since the useless and dilapidated barriers that had been guarding the enormous amount of garbage that had accumulated for years were removed, this square has earned three stars in my opinion. Now it's even fun to go for a coffee at one of the cafés overlooking the square. It might earn another star when (who knows when) the restoration of the old customs house is completed.
"Piazza" isn't the right word to describe it these days, left to die without any help, with scaffolding near the walls attacked for more than 7-8 years...
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