The Caserta’s Royal Palace

The Caserta’s Royal Palace is a work of art of the architect Vanvitelli that, as requested by the king Carlo di Borbone, designed this luxurious mansion right next to the magnificent garden to compete against the Palace of Versailles, that was the royal residence of the Re Sole.

That is why the beautiful and majestic Caserta’s Royal palace was created and every year hundreds and thousands of tourists chose it as their destination.

The royal mansion of the Caserta’s Royal Palace is a 47.000 square metres five-storey building. The architecture style is Baroque with neoclassical influences. On the inside, the palace has four courtyards that separate the areas of the structure.

Going up the grand staircase you will reach the royal apartments, the halls with frescoes, the Cappella palatina (palatine Chapel) and the Teatro di Corte (Court’s Theatre).

The first floor, that was reserved for the royal family, was known as the “royal floor”. Nowadays, the Museo della Reggia (Palace’s Museum) that houses the royal apartments occupy the southern side and it is divided in Appartamento del Settecento (18th century Apartment) and  Appartamento dell’Ottocento (19th century Apartment).

Between the Sala Ellittica (Oval Hall) and the grand staircase there is the Pinacoteca della Reggia (Palace’s Gallery), that houses the works of art made by the most famous painters of the 18th century. The gallery has many halls, such as the Sala dei Fasti Farnesiani (Farnese Splendours Hall), the Sala dei Borbone (Bourbons Hall) of Napoli, Spain and France, the Sala di Francesco I e Ferdinando II (Francesco I and Ferdinando II Hall), the Sala della Pittura di Genere (Genre Painting Hall).

On the first floor, in front of the staircase, there is also the Cappella Palatina (Palatine Chapel) that has a poly-chrome marble paved nave that resembles the Versaille’s one. On the main altar there is the painting of the Immacolata Concezione (Immaculate Conception) by Giuseppe Bonito.

On the west side of the palace there is the Royal Theatre, with a horseshoe-shaped plan similar to the one of the San Carlo theatre in Napoli. The stage is very peculiar, in fact it has a gate that overlooks the Palace’s Park, creating a beautiful natural set design.

Right out the back exit of the Royal Mansion of the Palace there is the “Via Dell’Acqua” (Path of the Water) that from Fontana Margherita (Margherita Fountain) leads to the depths of the Parco Reale (Royal Park).