At the top of the street that shares its name, where just a couple of centuries ago open countryside stretched just beyond Vasto’s gates, stands the Palazzo di Sant’Anna. It takes its name from the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary’s mother, which occupies its ground floor.
The church entrance is marked by a portico supported by two Doric brick columns. Above it, a characteristic double semi-elliptical staircase leads to the main floor of the palace, creating an elegant architectural motif while also visually harmonizing the uneven levels of the square below.
Though the building now appears somewhat modest, its beauty and unique design explain why, on September 15, 1832, Baron Genova chose it to host King Ferdinand II of Bourbon during his visit to Vasto.
This exquisite neoclassical corner, now nestled within a dense urban fabric, was the first work in Vasto by the renowned architect Nicola Maria Pietrocola upon his return from Naples in 1822. The complex, originally a Capuchin friary, was purchased in 1811 by Baron Genova after the friars were expelled following a decree by King Joseph Bonaparte, which suppressed several religious orders and transferred their properties to the state.
Pietrocola’s renovation essentially rebuilt the entire façade, preserving only the original church’s architrave. Here, one can still see the date of the church’s first foundation in 1585, when the Capuchins completed its construction on land donated to them four years earlier by the nobleman Bernardino Sottile. The adjoining convent was completed two years later and granted an annual income of 70 ducats by the city.
The first church was dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli, and like many “extra moenia” churches outside city walls, it became a site of popular devotion, attributed with miraculous occurrences. One such story tells of a Capuchin friar, Antonio da Toro, who returned empty-handed from collecting alms, having given all the bread to the poor. When questioned by his superior, he claimed the collected bread was in the church’s chest, where the friars would find it in abundance—still warm, as if freshly baked.
The d’Avalos family, particularly Don Diego d’Avalos and his wife Francesca Carafa, were especially devoted to Santa Maria degli Angeli. Don Diego donated the relic of the Sacred Thorn to the church, and both he and his wife were buried there in 1597 and 1592, respectively.
In later centuries, devotion shifted toward Sant’Anna, the protector of expectant mothers. A now-lost painting once depicted her with young Mary and Saint Joachim. For this reason, when Baron Genova reconsecrated the church after Pietrocola’s renovations, it was rededicated to Sant’Anna.
Since then, the church of Sant’Anna has remained open under the authority of the Chapter of Santa Maria Maggiore.
The devotion to Sant’Anna remains strong in Vasto. An altar dedicated to her can still be found at the entrance of the right nave in the town’s mother church. The name Anna is particularly common in Vasto, often given in fulfillment of a mother’s vow to the saint for protection during childbirth. Every year on July 26, the feast of Sant’Anna, the small church once again becomes the heart of popular devotion for many Vastesi.
