Royal Palace of Caserta, Caserta, Italy

The Royal Palace of Caserta is a former royal residence constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as kings of Naples. It is the largest palace erected in Europe during the 18th century and largest former royal residence in the world, covering an area of 47,000 m2. In 1997, the palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Combining the influences of Versailles, Rome, and Tuscany, the Caserta Royal Palace and Park, north of Naples, was designed according to the wishes of Charles of Bourbon III by Luigi Vanvitelli, one of the greatest Italian architects of the 18th century. Commissioned in 1752, Caserta is considered a triumph of Italian Baroque, and ahead of its time. The palace has five floors, 1,200 rooms, a large library and a theatre modelled after the Teatro San Carlo of Naples.

The garden, a typical example of the Baroque extension of formal vistas, stretches for 120 ha, partly on hilly terrain. It is also inspired by the park of Versailles. The park starts from the back façade of the palace, flanking a long alley with artificial fountains and cascades. There is a botanical garden called 'The English Garden' in the upper part designed in the 1780s by Carlo Vanvitelli and the German-born botanist, nurseryman, plantsman-designer, John Graefer, trained in London and recommended to Sir William Hamilton by Sir Joseph Banks. It is an early Continental example of an English garden in the svelte naturalistic taste of Capability Brown.

References:

visitworldheritage.com

User Reviews

Eleonora Markou (14 months ago)
If you visit Napoli this one is a must see. The biggest palace of Europe. You need at least 4-5 hours to see the palace and the gardens. Take the audio guide for the palace you will enjoy the tour inside the rooms and learn the history. The gardens are amazing with fountains and “pools” leading the way to a beautiful cataract at the end of a 3km walk through the garden. There is a bus that takes you an picks you up from there at a cost of 2,5euro but I strongly recommend to walk it of you can!!

Lynlie De La Cruz (2 years ago)
Huge, enormous, magnificent piece of construction. The palace, the aqueduct, the gardens. All massive and impressive. Easy parking just in the entrance to the palace. There u can rent bikes or take the shuttle (highly recommended) for 2.5€ per person to the end of the aqueduct, there u will enjoy great views and the English gardens.

Aussiequinns (2 years ago)
This place is of mind boggling size, absolutely enormous, and requires at least several hours to visit and explore. Tickets were 14 euro for the apartments and English gardens. The gardens are located several kilometres away from the palace can be accessed via walking or a shuttle which is 2.50 euro each way. Walking takes between 30-45 minutes. Would recommend walking to the English gardens and shuttle back to allow enjoyment of the fountains along the way. Some parts of the English gardens were closed for maintenance but they were enjoyable none the less. Walking the apartments you enter via the grand staircase which is an awe inspiring entrance and then follow the guided path through the open rooms. We didn't have the audio guide but would recommend as we walked away with more questions than answers. Believe it is only a few euro. Hit the follow button for more tips as we travel the world. ?

Yana Popovych (2 years ago)
Beautiful palace with amazing gardens. It worth to spend a day here and explore the apartments and surroundings. There are was an exhibition of contemporary art inside, and it’s items have been placed among main collection in apartments. It was so interesting . Also, the museum has great discounts for people under 25: the ticket was something like €2 instead of full price.

David naftalis (2 years ago)
Huge, enormous, magnificent piece of construction. The palace, the aqueduct, the gardens. All massive and impressive. Easy parking in the train station (1€ per hour *not accessible *) just in the entrance to the palace. There u can rent bikes or take the shuttle (highly recommended) for 2.5€ per person to the end of the aqueduct, there u will enjoy great views and the English gardens.

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