Palazzo Ciccarone, the most significant noble residence in Vasto after Palazzo d’Avalos, stands along Corso Plebiscito with its understated 18th-century architecture. Its symmetrical façade is punctuated by regularly spaced windows and balconies across two floors. The three entrances at street level once led to storage areas used by the landowning nobility to house agricultural goods.
The palace takes its name from the Ciccarone family, barons originally from Scerni, who settled in Vasto in the early 19th century and remain its owners to this day.
In 1823, Francesco Paolo Ciccarone purchased the palace from the Counts de Nardis, who had built it in the previous century. He expanded the structure by adding an additional floor and a small tower, which is only visible from a distance due to its recessed position.
This street was once known as Via di San Giovanni, named after the hospital established here in the 15th century by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem—now known as the Knights of Malta. Although this area was originally part of the Roman city grid, following one of its secondary cardo streets, it lay outside the Angevin city walls during the medieval period and was primarily occupied by monastic communities.
With the expansion of the city walls under Giacomo Caldora, this part of Vasto underwent significant urban development, particularly in the 17th century. After 1593, when Innico III d’Avalos elevated Vasto to the capital of his marquisate, many noble families chose this district to build their grand residences.
Today, Palazzo Ciccarone stands abandoned and is unfortunately not open to visitors.
The only accessible part is its private chapel, the Chiesa di San Teodoro, which can be entered from Via San Francesco di Assisi. The chapel was named after San Teodoro, as it housed his relics for over two centuries before they were transferred to the nearby Chiesa del Carmine, where they remain today.
The palace also holds an extensive library, established after Italian unification by Francesco Ciccarone. It contains over 20,000 historical volumes and handwritten letters from notable political figures who corresponded with the Ciccarone family for more than a century.
