Reggia di Caserta

The Royal Palace of Caserta was commissioned by Charles of Bourbon after the model of Louis XIV's Versailles. It was designed by architect Luigi Vanvitelli.
Construction commenced in 1752, initially under the direction of Carlo Vanvitelli, who continued in this role until 1847, overseeing the project with the assistance of other architects. The cessation of construction was a consequence of the waning interest (and financial resources) following the departure of Charles III. Under his successor, Ferdinand IV, the court only inhabited the palace during the warmer months, while Ferdinand II, the last king, selected it as his preferred residence.

The palace was owned by the Crown, which was a property of the Bourbons (with the exception of the period of the Napoleonic interlude), and subsequently of the Savoy family, until 1921, when it was transferred to the state.
The edifice is rectangular in plan, with four inner courtyards divided by the two central buildings, which intersect perpendicularly. The original design called for the construction of two semicircular wings, which were to embrace the vast square situated in front of the main façade, thereby softening the elevation that was, at the time, isolated from the rest of the structure. The two facades are of equal dimensions and face either the Piazza d'Armi or the park. They are constructed from brick and travertine, with an ashlar base, a double row of windows and a balustrade on the top floor. From the palace atrium, one may gain access to the lower vestibule, which offers a perspective on the four courtyards and provides a view of the park.
The dramatic grand staircase of honor, with a grand central ramp followed by two side ramps, leads to the octagonal upper vestibule, lit by large windows. Opposite is the Palatine Chapel, rectangular with a semicircular apse, decorated with polychrome marble with a barrel vault adorned with gilded coffers and rosettes, modeled after that of Versailles. To the left of the Chapel are the Royal Apartments, which include the Throne Room preceded by antechambers, the king's apartment and the queen's apartment. The antechambers are: the Hall of Halberdiers, the Hall of the Bodyguards, and the Alexander Hall, which serves as a link between the 18th-century and 19th-century rooms. From here open, on the left, the 18th-century apartment and, on the right, the 19th-century apartment (known as the New Apartment). The New Apartment, built during the years of the French reign, is introduced by two antechambers of neoclassical taste, the Hall of Mars and the Hall of Astrea, where military virtues are extolled. The Throne Room, the largest of the Royal Apartments, has Corinthian pillars on the walls while the architrave is decorated with portraits of the ruling house by various sculptors.

The Council Chamber, from which one enters the king's private apartment, has a vaulted ceiling frescoed by Cammarano with the theme Minerva Crowning Art and Science and walls decorated with large 19th-century paintings; in the center is a table decorated with porcelain medallions depicting the popular costumes of the kingdom. Next are the Antechamber and Bedroom of Francis II, with Empire-style furnishings in mahogany and gilded bronzes while the Bath Room of Francis II has a Carrara marble toilet with a granite tub adorned with lion protomes and a vault frescoed by Cammarano with Ceres.
Joachim Murat's first and second Antechambers and Bedchamber contain part of the furnishings of the royal residence in Portici: mahogany commodes and consoles and gilded bronzes are in the French Empire style, as are the bed and chairs upholstered in silk with the sovereign's figures while paintings decorate the walls. The 18th-century Apartment, the first to be inhabited by Ferdinand IV and Maria Carolina, is preceded by four conversation rooms, called the Rooms of the Seasons from the frescoes on the vaults. Of the Apartment of Ferdinand I of Bourbon, the first room, the so-called. Rich Cabinet of His Majesty, is decorated with furnishings by the famous German furniture maker Weisweiler and by gouaches by Hackert depicting royal sites.

In Maria Carolina's apartment, four small rooms decorated in the typical Rococo style are notable. The work room is particularly noteworthy for its striking yellow satin walls framed by mirrors. The cabinet of stuccoes leads to the cabinet for the use of the bath and the cabinet for the use of the ristretto, which feature Venetian mirrors, putti, frescoes by Fischetti, and a marble basin with trompe l'oeil decorations. Proceeding from the boudoir, one encounters the Hall of Company, then the Hall of the Ladies of the Court, and finally the two antechamber reading rooms of the Palatine Library, which consist of three rooms decorated by the German painter Fugger. The Elliptical Hall, originally intended for court amusements, houses the reconstruction of the Royal Crib. From here one can enter the Picture Gallery, which contains a collection of works, including still lifes, battle scenes and Hackert's series of Ports of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. These works are distributed across several rooms, some of which are the so-called Quadreria, which display portraits of the royals of the Bourbon dynasty.
Finally, in the restorations of the Historical Apartment is the display of the contemporary art exhibition Terrae Motus,put together by gallery owner Lucio Amelio after the 1980 earthquake with works by major contemporary artists (Warhol, Hearing, Schifano, Beuys, Pistoletto).
Of great significance, finally, is the Theater, on the western side of the Palace, a scale reproduction of the San Carlo in Naples with five tiers of boxes and a sumptuous royal box: the only room completed by Vanvitelli father at the behest of Ferdinand IV, it was inaugurated in 1769.
Along with the building, Vanvitelli designed the surrounding Park, a splendid example of an Italian garden.

The Royal Park and English Garden of the Royal Palace of Caserta.

The Royal Park, an integral part of the project presented by architect Luigi Vanvitelli to the sovereigns, was inspired by the gardens of the great European residences of the 18th century, blending the Italian tradition of the Renaissance garden with the solutions introduced by André Le Nôtre at Versailles. Work, with the demarcation of the area and the planting of the first plants, began in 1753, at the same time as that for the construction of the Carolino Aqueduct, whose waters from the slopes of Mount Taburno would feed the fountains of the royal gardens. II present park is only partly the realization of Luigi Vanvitelli's project. The work was completed by his son Charles, who scaled back his father's design due to lack of funds.

The layout is divided into three parts. The first, immediately behind the Palace, is destined for the parterre (a lawn with straight avenues) and includes the so-called Old Woods (because they pre-existed the Reggia) in which stands the Castelluccia, a 16th-century building rebuilt in 1769 in the form of a miniature fortress at which the young Ferdinand IV practiced mock battles. The avenues arrive at the Peschiera, an artificial lake with a small island in the center, embellished by a circular temple.

The second section of the park, defined by the presence of water features emanating from fountains positioned in alignment with the Reggia, commences at the "Margherita" fountain. From two lateral ramps, one ascends to the bridge of Hercules, marking the point at which the extensive "waterway" begins. The route continues along the slope of the hill, featuring alternating water basins and overlapping basins adorned with statues. Two wide roads, bordered by espaliers of holm oaks and groves of oaks, flank the route up to the great basin, in which an imposing waterfall falls from the slopes of Mount Briano. The initial fountain one encounters is the "Dolphins" fountain, so named due to the water emerging from the mouths of three large fish carved in stone. Subsequently, one encounters the fountain of Aeolus, a broad exedra comprising numerous caves emulating the abode of the winds, depicted by a multitude of zephyr statues. However, this architectural project was never completed. Subsequently, one encounters seven sloping basins, each forming a distinct waterfall. The fountain of Ceres, a symbol of Sicily's feracity, is also situated here. It features statues of the goddess and the island's two rivers. The final fountain illustrates the narrative of "Venus and Adonis." In the basin below the waterfall of Mount Briano, known as "Diana's bath," two significant marble groups depict the moment when Actaeon, transformed into a stag, is about to be mauled by his own dogs, and Diana, surrounded by nymphs, emerges from the bath.
The third part is that of the English Garden, desired by Marie Caroline. It was Lord Hamilton who persuaded the queen to compete with her sister Marie Antoinette of France, who had the Petit Trianon built at Versailles. It was, therefore, English botanist Andrew Graefer who, in 1782, initiated work in the area near the great waterfall, where the land sloping toward the south lends itself to whimsical arrangements and the cultivation of exotic species. The garden offers a series of evocative places with profound references to the models of the time: the cryptoporticus, with statues from the excavations in Pompeii and the Farnese collection; the small pond of the Bath of Venus, with mock Pompeian ruins; the English-style casino, a two-story building with Doric plinth and pillars supporting a cornice adorned with medallions, which was Graefer's home; and, finally, the aperia, an area used as a water reservoir by Vanvitelli, later used for beekeeping and finally converted into a greenhouse in 1826. Nearby are the four greenhouses in which Graefer planted the plants he researched on Capri, in the Salento area or in Palermo. Nearby are the Aquarium, intended for aquatic plants, the Rose Garden and the Botanical School.