Abstract

In 1665 the palace of the Duke of Girifalco hosts a selected group of aristocratic people for a rich performance inspired to Calderón’s Con quien vengo vengo, in order to show the magnificence of the house as well as its loyalty to the Spanish king. This event testifies both to the myth of Calderón in Naples in the 17th century and to the performing strategies in private houses. The text was staged using typical resources of Neapolitan theatres, such as prologues, musical insertions, dances between the acts and multiple language scenes, and was entrusted to a troupe formed by talented amateurs and skilled practitioners. Technical solutions and other «messages» constitute a propagandistic «liturgy» aimed at emphasizing the tribute of the Duke (and of his entourage) to the Spanish power. The glamour and the myth of the «catholic» nation is based also upon such events, where different «languages» and bold experiments are combined. At that time Naples is gaining (and bringing to perfection) an artistic role, which will soon turn into an absolute primacy in Europe.