Donna Carafa

NAME ANNA

SURNAME CARAFA

TITLE VICEREINE OF THE REIGN OF NAPLES
FROM 1637 TO 1645

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE Tall, blonde and good-looking.

PLACES NAPLES, THE BEAUTIFUL VILLA ‘LA SIRENA’ LATELY KNOWN AS DONN’ANNA ‘S PALACE.

TIME XVII CENTURY

THE FACTS Anna was the daughter of the mighty Prince Carafa di Stigliano. She was very rich and the best European aristocracy wanted to marry her. Finally in 1636 she married the Viceroy Ramiro de Guzmàn, duke of Medina de las Torres.
From her father she inherited the remains of a beautiful villa called ‘ La Sirena’ ( the Mermaid ) built on one of the nicest spot of the neapolitan coast : Posillipo. The building had been erected during the reign of the last Aragonese sovereigns and it was told that a spell was cast on it. Anna ordered the architect Cosimo Fanzango to build on its place a magnificant Palace stretching out into the sea. There she lived and many stories were told on her, stories where she appeares sometimes as a saintly lady devoted to the care of the poor and sometimes as a greedy, lavish woman.
When her husband was called back to Spain she remained in Naples and retired in another villa in Portici. The works on her beautiful Palace in Posillipo were interrupted never to be finished.

THE LEGEND The most famous of the legends about Donn’Anna Carafa is set in her Palace in posillipo. There it is told Anna had a terrible row with her niece Mercede de la Torre because of a man they both were in love with. Following this row, the niece disappeared and her ghost has haunted the place ever since.
The Palace of Donn’Anna is also linked with the names of two other famous Neapolitan Women : Giovanna I D’Anjou and Giovanna II D’Anjou. It is told that one of these two queens ( the legend is not very accurate mixing up the two queens ) used that place ( not yet restored but still the original medieval building ) to meet her lovers. But unfortunately for them, the lovers never came out of the Palace.In fact they were thrown into deep caves full of swords and spears .
So sex and death are the main characteristics of the ‘ black building’ on the sea.

NAME	ANNA
SURNAME	CARAFA
TITLE	VICEREINE OF THE REIGN OF NAPLES FROM 1637 TO 1645
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE	Tall, blonde and good-looking.
PLACES	NAPLES, THE BEAUTIFUL VILLA ‘LA SIRENA’ LATELY KNOWN AS DONN’ANNA ‘S PALACE.
TIME	XVII CENTURY
THE FACTS	Anna was the daughter of the mighty Prince Carafa di Stigliano. She was very rich and the best European aristocracy wanted to marry her. Finally in 1636 she married the Viceroy Ramiro de Guzmàn, duke of Medina de las Torres. From her father she inherited the remains of a beautiful villa called ‘ La Sirena’ ( the Mermaid ) built on one of the nicest spot of the neapolitan coast : Posillipo. The building had been erected during the reign of the last Aragonese sovereigns and it was told that a spell was cast on it. Anna ordered the architect Cosimo Fanzango to build on its place a magnificant Palace stretching out into the sea. There she lived and many stories were told on her, stories where she appeares sometimes as a saintly lady devoted to the care of the poor and sometimes as a greedy, lavish woman. When her husband was called back to Spain she remained in Naples and retired in another villa in Portici. The works on her beautiful Palace in Posillipo were interrupted never to be finished.
THE LEGEND	The most famous of the legends about Donn’Anna Carafa is set in her Palace in posillipo. There it is told Anna had a terrible row with her niece Mercede de la Torre because of a man they both were in love with. Following this row, the niece disappeared and her ghost has haunted the place ever since. The Palace of Donn’Anna is also linked with the names of two other famous Neapolitan Women : Giovanna I D’Anjou and Giovanna II D’Anjou. It is told that one of these two queens ( the legend is not very accurate mixing up the two queens ) used that place ( not yet restored but still the original medieval building ) to meet her lovers. But unfortunately for them, the lovers never came out of the Palace.In fact they were thrown into deep caves full of swords and spears . So sex and death are the main characteristics of the ‘ black building’ on the sea.