[2025 Caserta Attraction] Travel Guide for Royal Palace of Caserta (Updated Mar)

The Royal Palace of Caserta is a former royal residence located in Caserta in southern Italy. It was built by the Bourbon dynasty of the Kingdom of Naples. It is the largest palace building in the world and one of the largest buildings in Europe in the 18th century. The 18th-century Caserta Royal Palace and Gardens, the Vanvitelli Aqueduct and the San Leggio Complex were designated as a World Cultural Heritage in 1997. On August 29, 1750, Charles III purchased the territory of Caserta from the Acquaviva family to build a royal palace that would rival or even surpass the Palace of Versailles in France, the Schönbrunn Palace in Austria, and the Würzburg Palace in Germany. Another major aim of Charles III was to re-establish a grand new royal court and administrative centre for the kingdom in a location that was protected from naval attack and away from the rebellious and overcrowded Naples. It will house not only the king and members of the royal family, but also the main political and cultural elite of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, including a university, museums, libraries, offices for cabinet members and senior military officials. In order to provide the king with adequate protection, military barracks will also be housed in the palace. The main architects of the time were taken into consideration for the design of the new palace: Mario Giofredo, architect of Palazzo Partana and Palazzo Avrito in Naples, Ferdinando Fuga, architect of Palazzo Consutta, Palazzo Quirinale and Palazzo Corsini in Rome, Luigi Vanvitelli, co-designer of the Trevi Fountain (Trevi Fountain) in Rome and of the Pentagonal Lazzaretto in Ancona, and Nicola Salvi, another co-designer of the Trevi Fountain. Eventually the task was given to Luigi Vanvitelli. The project involved the construction of the palace, a large royal garden and water features including a series of fountains, as well as the study of water supply solutions for the future palace and the development of the town to the south of the palace. When Charles III saw the large model of the palace and garden designed by Vanvitelli according to his wishes, he was so shocked that he could not express it in words. At that moment, he felt that his heart was about to jump out. The palace is 247 meters long, 184 meters wide and 41 meters high; it has five floors, over 1 million cubic meters, covers an area of ​​47,000 square meters, has a construction area of ​​235,000 square meters, and is divided into 1,200 rooms. The Royal Palace of Caserta is the largest royal residence in the world in terms of volume. The design of the complex ingeniously combines luxurious palaces and their gardens, natural forests, hunting lodges and industrial facilities for silk production. All this strongly proves the argument that it is far better to perfectly integrate material forms with natural landscapes than to impose material forms on natural landscapes. The design of the palace flower arrangement was inspired by the Palace of Versailles in France and the Granja de San Ildefonso Palace in Spain. The gardens cover an area of ​​120 hectares and are approximately 3 km long, with water brought into the pools and fountains via the Gallino Aqueduct. The Bosco Vecchio on the left side of the gardens is preserved, which was part of the Renaissance gardens of the Acquaviva family and a place for entertainment and leisure for monarchs and princes. The long central avenue leads to the Margarita Fountain, along the hillside, from which two semi-elliptical side slopes branch out. It is arranged along the famous "waterway" on a north-south axis. The fountain design here is inspired by classical mythological themes and features seven sloping pools that form numerous waterfalls. The series of four fountains are as follows: the Fountain of Ceres (Fig. 8), the hounds chasing Actaon who was transformed into a stag by Diana's curse (Fig. 9), and this one is located at the bottom of a large artificial waterfall, which is the hub of the entire scene system. There are also the Fountain of Cupid, Venus and Adonis (Figure 10) and the Fountain of Diana and Ateone, a work by Paolo Persico from 1771 (Figure 11). With the laying of the first stone of the palace on 20 January 1752, construction proceeded at an extremely rapid pace until Charles III left Caserta for Spain in 1759, when the pace of construction on the complex slowed significantly, so that after Luigi Vanvitelli's death in 1773 it was still far from complete. Luigi's son Carlo Vanvitelli and other architects followed in the next century to complete this magnificent royal residence. Your original model will always be a model and will never be fully realized in reality. The last picture is an oil painting inside the royal palace, showing Ferdinand IV and Pope Clement XIII. #worldheritage #worldheritage #overseastravel #royalpalace #palace #europetravel #europetravel #italytravel #caserta #statue #fountainpark #oilpainting

A place where you will get some exercise by walking while watching all those refreshing creation, the trees, grass, fishes. The Royal Palace of Caserta is one of the largest and most majestic buildings of Italy, with a park, where a spectacular series of fountains and waterfalls gives an unparalleled grandeur. #naturelover

The Royal Palace of Caserta was built by the famous Italian architect Luigi Vanvitelli for Prince Charles of the Bourbon dynasty. Construction began in 1752 and was completed in 1774. The palace is 247 meters long, 184 meters wide, and 41 meters high. It has five floors and 1,200 rooms, and its floor plan is in the shape of a "field" character. In addition to the building, the palace also includes four courtyards, each 72 meters long and 52 meters wide, and a large square planted with holly trees in front of the palace gate. The 1,200 rooms in the palace are exquisitely and luxuriously decorated. The rooms are furnished with many works of art, including gold and silver utensils, gilded bronze, pottery, porcelain, marble carvings, and silk fabrics. The walls are decorated with various murals, oil paintings, and tapestries, and the decoration is extremely gorgeous. In addition to the famous rooms such as the throne room, bedroom, and study, the palace also has a chapel and a court theater.

The distance in a straight line from the palace to the fountain of Diana and Actaeon, which is at the opposite end of the park prospect - 3.5 km! So a walk in the park can be not only interesting, but also very tedious. It is easier to take a minibus that starts from the palace, and calmly drive for 1 euro to the fountain of Diana and Actaeon. There you can go to the English garden for a while, and go back down, periodically emerging to the fountains from the shade into the desperate sunshine. Walking up in the heat is complete madness and you must take some water with you. The garden is a typical example of Baroque, stretching for 120 hectares, it stretches 3 km north of the palace across the plain to the cascading ledges of the mountains. It is based on the Versailles Park. The park begins at the rear facade of the palace and continues with long flanking paths with artificial fountains and cascades. The park is divided into three zones: the first, located behind the palace, is intended for the stalls. It is just green lawns intersected by white straight lines of paths. On the left, it is framed by the "old forest", so named because it existed on this site even before the construction of the palace began. To the right are lawns ending in shrubs. The second zone extends all the way to the waterfall, from where the Briano hills rise, covered with forest. The central element of the park is the play of water erupting from fountains created under the careful supervision of Carlo Vanvitelli. The third area, which was not included in the original project, is an English garden. According to Vanvitelli's design, the park of the Caserta Palace was supposed to be as impressive as the palace itself. The architect carefully studied the designs of Dutch, German and French colleagues and was well acquainted with the parks and gardens of Versailles, Fontainebleau and Tuileries. #trip #garden #flowerlover #park #italy

Immerse yourself in the grandeur of the Royal Palace of Caserta, one of Italy's most magnificent architectural wonders. The opulent interiors, grand staircases, and spectacular craftsmanship make this palace a delightful visit for lovers of history, art, and culture. Explore the lavish rooms, stroll in the stunning gardens, and marvel at the intricate design of this royal marvel.