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The Royal Palace of Caserta (Italian: Reggia di Caserta [ˈrɛddʒa di kaˈzɛrta,-kaˈsɛrta]; Neapolitan: Reggia 'e Caserta [ˈrɛdːʒ(ə) e kaˈsertə]) is a former royal residence in Caserta, Campania, 35km north of Naples in southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as kings of Naples.
- History of Royal Palace of Caserta
- Royal Palace of Caserta Today
- Getting to Royal Palace of Caserta
The palace is located in Caserta, in the Campania region of Southern Italy. Construction of the palace started in 1752 under Charles VIII of Naples (Charles III of Spain), with the designs by architect Luigi Vanvitelli filling Charles with emotion ‘fit to tear his heart from his breast.’ Charles sadly never even slept a night at the Reggia, as he a...
Today, many of the rooms in the palace are open to the public. The grounds are also famously wonderful to visit, and it is recommended that you hire bikes, a horse-drawn carriage, or use the shuttle bus to make the most of all of the sights on offer. The palace has also been used as a film set. Most notably, its famous entrance hall has provided a ...
From the centre of Naples, the palace is a 40 minute drive, via SS162dir. There’s also a regular connecting bus and train service from the centre of Naples which takes around 45 minutes.
The centrepiece of his project, the Royal Palace of Caserta, is now one of the largest royal residences in the world, a World Heritage Site since 1997 along with the Caroline Aqueduct and the San Leucio Belvedere.It includes the Royal Palace, the Royal Park, the English Garden, the San Silvestro Wood and the Caroline Aqueduct.
On April 29, 1945, the so-called Surrender of Caserta was signed in the Royal Palace of Caserta, i.e. the surrender of the Nazi-fascists which led to the end of the Second World War. From 1948 to 2016 it was the headquarters of the Air Force, and in 1994 the headquarters of the G7.
Later the city of Caserta was bombed, and the Reggia was damaged. It then became the Allied Headquarters in the Mediterranean for British and American troops. Thus, the Royal Palace of Caserta became a large military citadel, or what was called the Allied Force Headquarters.
Despite these adjustments, the Royal Palace of Caserta established itself among the most prestigious royal residences in Europe, a perfect synthesis of all the arts: architecture, painting, sculpture, decorative arts and even music with the creation of the Court Theatre.