The Royal Estate of Carditello (Reggia di Carditello) includes a small 18th-century palace once belonging to the Neapolitan Bourbon Monarchy and its surrounding grounds in San Tammaro, a small village in the province of Caserta in the region of Campania.
While the estate functioned as an agricultural and pastoral production center, and included large amounts of royal territory, the palace entertained members of the royal court as a hunting lodge. The palace was designed by Francesco Collecini (1723-1804), pupil of Vanvitelli. The forecourt had a large horse racing track.
The royal estate itself enchanted Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who wrote that people should visit Carditello to understand what nature really was. Carditello offered the king and his court the opportunity for hunting excursions, its woods being rich in game.
Many years of disuse would follow after the unification of Italy. The king left the estate in the care of the local head of the Camorra, which began a long period of disinterest and neglect of the property. In 1920, 2,070 hectares of the estate were sold, leaving only the main palace building and 15 hectares surrounding it. During World War II, it was occupied by German and American troops, which increased the state of degradation of the palace, especially its frescoed interior. Over time, the palace was gradually stripped of its fixtures.
The palace was built in the second half of the 18th century by Charles of Borbone. The complex is 300 meters long and divided into 3 parts: on two sides there are two factories that are divided by the main palace with two long halls. There are 3 buildings that are linked between them, because the royals wanted to demonstrate that there were no barriers separating the people and the royal family.
On the ground floor there are kitchens, weapons stocks, and the staff room. On the first floor there are two distinct areas, one for the royal family and the other for the receptions that were organized after hunting.
The small church is built in typical 18th-century style, decorated by the main artists of the court such as Philip Hackert.
References:The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.
The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.
Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.