The Royal Palace at Caserta
The eighteenth-century royal
palace (palazzo reale) at Caserta with its park, aqueduct and the San
Leucio complex, in the region of Campania, was declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1996. It is conceived by King Charles IV, later Charles
III of Spain, as a majestic statement of the power, wealth and prestige
of Bourbon dynasty, and it was built outside the teeming city of Naples,
with its discontented inhabitants, just as his ancestor Louis XIV had
built Versailles outside Paris to escape the Parisians. Charles had much
to live up to, as did his architect Luigi Vanvitelli. And they suceeded!
The palace at Caserta most
nearly rivals the palace at Versailles. It has been said that it is the
last great building of the Italian Baroque. The main palace has 1,200
exquisite rooms, 25 magnificent royal apartments and a main staircase
that boosts 116 steps carved from one piece of stone. Vanvitelli designed
and built a magnificent aqueduct to provide the water for the many
fountains, and pools, most of which featured glorious statues. The little
theatre is modelled on Naples' Teatro San Carlo and the whole is set in
vast, enchanting parkland with graceful Italianate gardens, including the
English Garden. The gardens feature a series of fountains and an 80
meters (260 feet) waterfall fed by the specially built aqueduct. They are
said to rival the gardens of Versailles.
The whole included a barracks
and the San Leucio complex, a royal silk factory disguised as a pavilion.
The inhabitants of the area were forcibly picked up and moved 10 km (6
miles) to make way for Caserta. Construction began in 1752, but the
architect died before it was complete. The work was carried on by his son
Carlo. Charles IV never spent a night here, because he became king of
Spain but the palace was completed for his son, Ferdinand IV of Naples.
The royal palace at Caserta is
closed on major holidays and there is an entrance fee. You can get there
by train from Naples, or hire a car.
