REGGIA DI CASERTA

Charles de Bourbon, King of Naples from 1734 to 1759, wanted "his Versailles". Luigi Vanvitelli drew the plans for it from the second half of the 18th century. Covering an area of 47,000^m2, the palace, 190 m wide, is structured around four courtyards. Without wanting to bore you with figures, it also has 1,200 rooms, 1,790 windows, 34 staircases and a 120-hectare park. The harmonious facade of the palace presents a skilful alternation of solids and voids that balance the volumes. Take the magnificent marble Great Stairway of Honour which leads to the large vestibule and the royal apartments. From the vestibule, enjoy the view of the central avenue of the park. Then go on to the Palatine Chapel, an almost replica of the one in Versailles.

The Royal Apartments. See in the Halberdiers' Hall, 22.50 m long and 14.25 m wide, the vault and the frescoes by Domenico Mondo, representing the arms of the Bourbons supported by the Virtues. The Hall of the Bodyguards houses twelve high reliefs illustrating major events linked to the history of the kingdom. Note, on the vault, decorated with stuccoes and arabesques, the fresco The Glory of the Princes, depicting the twelve provinces of the kingdom. Linger also in the sumptuous Alexander the Great Hall: superb fresco (marriage of the Macedonian king and Roxanne) and splendid marble. You then move on to the "old" apartments, the first to have been inhabited. The seasons are in the spotlight with the Spring Room, inspired by the great fresco decorating the vault. Then follows the Summer Room with its fresco of Ceres and Proserpine. Autumn is not to be outdone with a vault dedicated to Bacchus and Ariadne. On the walls, several still lifes are the work of the Neapolitan school. The Winter Salon was also the smoking room. The studio, in oriental style, was particularly prized by King Ferdinand I (1751-1825), son and successor of Charles de Bourbon. See also his bedroom and the Empire style bed. Take an interest in the Queen's reception room, elegantly furnished. The library, spread over three rooms, contains more than 12,000 volumes. Nearby, note the famous Neapolitan crib(presepe). Charles de Bourbon is at the origin of a real craze for pastoral art among the Neapolitan aristocracy of the 18th century. The "new" apartments, completed last, include a beautiful Empire-style Mars room. Note in its centre the oriental alabaster cup, donated by Pius IX to Ferdinand II (1810-1859). See of course the very solemn Throne Room covered with paintings and gilding. A series of about fifty medallions bearing the effigy of the kings of Naples encircle the room. Just a stone's throw away, the king's bedroom contains a beautiful ebony and gilded bronze bed in the Empire style.

The park also deserves your full attention. Basins, monumental fountains and waterfalls follow one another in the middle of gardens mixing Italian (labyrinth) and French styles. Beautiful fountains of the Dolphins, Aeolus and Ceres, symbols of the natural elements. See also the fountain of Venus, a grandiose group of marble, dissuading Adonis from going hunting. End your visit with a detour to the great waterfall and the fountain of Diana and Actaeon, a lost hunter who saw Diana bathing naked. The goddess, furious, turned him into a deer and had him devoured by her dogs..