Palazzo Mosca

On Piazza San Rocco, Palazzo Mosca has a Baroque facade crowned by a frieze of dancing putti and seraphs. Its history is associated with the Di Salvo, Teopista and Mosca families, against the backdrop of Scanno's pastoral and wool-trading wealth.

Why it matters

The palace is one of Scanno's notable historic residences. Local tradition associates it with the Di Salvo family, barons of Castrovalva until 1623; an inscription bearing the name Teopista has instead been taken to suggest a connection with the notary Donato Teopista. The house later passed to Gregorio Mosca of Pescocostanzo, whose family name it bears.

What to notice

The Baroque facade is set beneath a cornice decorated with dancing putti and seraphs. An inscription reading Teopista appears on the architrave of a side window. The palace fronts Piazza San Rocco, alongside the church of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli.

Context and history

Scanno's palaces reflect the wealth generated by livestock, wool and woodland commerce, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries. The town's Baroque residences, built in local stone, stand among older Romanesque and Gothic fabric. The succession of family associations recalled at Palazzo Mosca reflects changing sources of status in the town, from feudal title to professional and mercantile wealth.