Royal Palace of Caserta is a former royal residence in Caserta, Campania that was originally constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples and is one of the largest palaces erected in Europe during the 18th century. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a simply stunning sight to behold.
By virtue of sheer scale alone, it is breathtaking but the architecture, art and gardens make the Baroque gem the masterpiece that is is. Just find a luxury villa in Campania and come explore this incredible building for yourself.
Begun in 1752 for Charles VII of Naples, it was designed by Luigi Vanvitelli, who worked in conjunction with Charles. Charles, funnily enough, never actually lived in the palace due to his abdication in 1759 to become King of Spain.
By virtue of sheer scale alone, it is breathtaking but the architecture, art and gardens make the Baroque gem the masterpiece that is is. Just find a luxury villa in Campania and come explore this incredible building for yourself.
Begun in 1752 for Charles VII of Naples, it was designed by Luigi Vanvitelli, who worked in conjunction with Charles. Charles, funnily enough, never actually lived in the palace due to his abdication in 1759 to become King of Spain.
The model for the palace was Versailles, though in its social model, rather than its actual appearance. The Royal Palace of Madrid, where Charles had grown up, and Charlottenburg Palace also served as inspirations in the design and construction of the Royal Palace of Caserta.
As noted, the palace is truly massive – it is the largest royal palace in terms of volume in the globe and measures more than 2 million m³. Built across 5 floors, it is made up of 1,200 rooms; among these there are two dozen state apartments, a large library, and a theatre modelled after the Teatro San Carlo of Naples.
It is built on a rectangular plan, with the four sides connected by two orthogonal arms, forming four inner courts. It also remains faithful to its original plans, relatively unchanged by time and, so, walking through it is like stepping back into an old Bourbon court.
As noted, the palace is truly massive – it is the largest royal palace in terms of volume in the globe and measures more than 2 million m³. Built across 5 floors, it is made up of 1,200 rooms; among these there are two dozen state apartments, a large library, and a theatre modelled after the Teatro San Carlo of Naples.
It is built on a rectangular plan, with the four sides connected by two orthogonal arms, forming four inner courts. It also remains faithful to its original plans, relatively unchanged by time and, so, walking through it is like stepping back into an old Bourbon court.
The garden is one of the highlights and is also inspired by Versailles. It boasts fountains, a botanical garden, hydraulics and a large number of figures from classical Antiquity that were modelled by Gaetano Salomone, all set over the rolling, hilly landscape that surrounds.
Beautiful, incredibly huge and frozen in time, this palace is one of the most stunning in the world and is truly a must-see.
Beautiful, incredibly huge and frozen in time, this palace is one of the most stunning in the world and is truly a must-see.
Photo credits
picture 1: Carlo Pelagalli / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Carlo Pelagalli / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 1: Carlo Pelagalli / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Carlo Pelagalli / CC BY-SA 3.0
