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Naples Best Hidden Secret: Casa D’Anna ai Cristallini
There are places where we arrive, and the expectation of discovering a well-kept secret gains strength by the simple contrast of what is yet to be revealed. Casa D’Anna ai Cristallini in Naples, Italy, is an example of this. Not only because it is located outside of the booking platforms, but because this entire guest house is a delightful surprise for the senses.
Intimate Spaces Full of Rarity
Located in the Rione Sanità neighborhood, just a few minutes from the historic center of Naples, Casa D’Anna ai Cristallini is a small guesthouse that, despite having only five rooms, feels more like a “cabinet of curiosities”.
Upon arrival, the scene is intriguing as the poorly maintained building still does not reveal the treasures that its interior houses. As we enter, we leave behind the cacophony of one of the most authentic and vibrant neighborhoods in Naples. A place full of fruit stalls and noisy cafes, and once a block of noble palaces. The road where Casa D’Anna resides was the route that the Court took to the Capodimonte Palace, the summer residence of the Bourbon family of the Two Sicilies. The area also housed artisan shops, especially those of the traditional crystal masters, who gave their name to the street, Via dei Cristallini.
Just a few metres away is a jewel of Italian Baroque, the staircase of the Palazzo del Spagnuolo, seen time and again in photographs, and which now, when we come across it covered in Adam’s Rib vines, fascinates us with its decadent, typically Neapolitan beauty.
Standing in front of the Casa D’Anna ai Cristallini, one wonders whether we have actually arrived at the right place. While there are no signs to be seen from the outside, we would be far from guessing that this was once a Baroque building from the early 16th century, known as the Palazzo Giannattasio.
Inside Casa D’Anna ai Cristallini
Upon entering, everything changes. The staff compensates for the lack of an elevator by helping with luggage up to the second floor. The magic of the place is about to reveal itself. At the top of the staircase, double wooden and glass doors open scenically onto a hall painted Pompeii red. The black and white marble floor in “damier” style reminds us of a Vermeer painting.
Here, Maison Trudon candles burn throughout the day, constantly suspending a warm aroma in the air. Opera arias and jazz themes echo from the walls covered in classical paintings—no object placed at random. The eye wanders over the most unusual pieces on tables and armoires masterfully curated with all kinds of objects: antique binoculars, rococo mirrors, Roman busts, Greek ceramics, tulip vases, and a profusion of art books for the guests’ enjoyment.
At Casa D’Anna, we feel like we are at the home of some well-travelled friends, in a kind of refuge for a few lucky flâneurs.
Rooms to Immerse Yourself In
The hotel has just five rooms, each paying homage to one of the islands in the Gulf of Naples: Ischia, Capri, Procida, Nisida, and then the even more northern island of Palmarola. The decor changes from room to room, and in all of them, the clever use of mirrors and glass reflecting the interior courtyard helps circumvent the rooms’ small scale, surprising you.
The feeling of luxurious welcome is complete with Pierre Frey fabrics in the curtains and cushions, walls painted in Farrow & Ball, floor tiles by Vietri, the ceramics capital of the Amalfi Coast, and toiletries by Ortigia Sicilia, the Italian luxury soaps and skincare brand.
Where Antiquity Meets Haute Hospitality
Just as important as the interiors is the presence of the hostess, the passionate Alessandra Calise Martuscelli, who is committed to preserving the intimate and authentic character of the ancient palace.
Another point of interest of the hotel is the underground ruins of a Greek necropolis dating back more than two millennia. Discovered in 1889 in the basement of an adjoining building inherited by the Martuscelli family, to which Alessandra’s husband belongs. The four perfectly preserved and richly decorated burial chambers allow guided tours with a limit of 50 people per day. Taking you on a journey back 2,300 years to the time when Naples was still a Greek city.
The restoration of the ruins has created a sense of community in a once-neglected neighborhood that Alessandra has now revitalized. The warmth with which shopkeepers and residents of the Rione-Sanitá neighborhood greet our host during our personalized tour is evident, from the daughter of a former Mafia boss to the owner of Poppella patisserie, who makes unforgettable “fiocco di neve.”
Casa d’Anna ai Cristallini is not a hotel; it is a cabinet of curiosities in the form of accommodation, a memory bank where objects seem to talk to each other in a dialogue not to be missed on a future trip to Naples.
Visit Casa D’Anna ai Cristallini
Words by Rita Jardim
Feature Photo Courtesy of Casa D’Anna ai Cristallini
