Nice, isn't it ? No doubt that the Royal Palace and its garden are breathtaking. This is the most (or maybe the second
most) visited place of art and history in Italy. The palace was built in the 2nd half of the 18th century by architect Luigi Vanvitelli (1700 - 1773)
for the will of Carlo III of Borbone. At that time Caserta was no more than a country town, so its development was mainly due to this Palace itself.
The Palace covers an area of 44.000 square meters, and it's 42 meters tall.
It has 1.200 rooms (you know, to be sure in case of unexpected guests....) each one beautifully frescoed and with original furniture. Have you ever
visited Versailles in Paris ? Well, this is better - believe me.
The Garden (it's a wood, as a matter of fact...), it's my favourite place. It's really
boundless. There is an artificial lake, a waterfall (to make water fall, a brand new acqueduct was built by Vanvitelli) and thousands of hectares of green: from
the darkest wood to english grass. If you wanna have a quick tour of the patk here are the main steps: stroll through the Bosco Vecchio (old wood), past the little castle built as a playhouse for the Bourbon
princes, past the fish pond where mock sea battles were staged to amuse the members of the royal
court, past the dolphin fountain and on to the fountain of Diana and Actaeon, a sculptural group as
animated and enchanting as the one in Trevi Fountain. Rest a while here, because now you have to visit the botanical garden where hundreds of exotic plants are cultivated. It's the loveliest section, the English Gardens,
embellished with a tiny lake and fake ancient ruins: this place is called "Bagno di Venere".
Nice painting
My city is here
***** Click here to see a view of Mt. Vesuvius from the English Garden at Caserta (34k JPEG) *****
The best moment is sunday morning. I like to go jogging when there's nobody. It's just me climbing the hill of the waterfall and the enjoying the
panorama of the park, the palace and the city.
Work in progress ! Be patient...
