The Royal Palace building began with the laying of the foundation stone in 20 jenuary of 1752 and it proceeded briskly until 1759 year in which, dead the King of Spain, left the kingdom of Naples to reach Madrid. After Carlo's departure the new Palace construction works, as at time was colled the Royal Palace, suffered a considerable slowdown, so at the death of Luigi Vanvitelli in 1773, they were far from being completed. Carlo Vanvitelli, and afterwards other architects, trained at the Vanvitelli school, carried out in the next century this great royal residence.
The Royal Palace of Caserta has a rectangular plan articulated on building overlooking four large courtyards and it covers an area of approximately 47.000 square meters for a height of 5 floors equal to 36 meters. An imposing portico (optical telescope) is the ideal connection between the park and the waterfall, located scenically at the height of the vanishing point thus created.
The staircase of honor, eighteenth-century invention of the art scene connects the lower and the upper hallway, from which leads to the royal apartments. The rooms used by the royal family were made several times during a whole century, in a style that reflects the so called « internal units» feature of architectural design and decorative of eighteenth-century and partly according to nineteenth-century taste for composite furnishing and the tiny objects.
On the upper vestibule, in front of the compartment of the main staircase, opens the Palatine Chapel, designed by Vanvitelli even in decorations, it's certainly the room more than any other shows a clear analogy with the model of Versailles. The Court theatre, located on the western side of the palace, is a wonderful examble of eighteenth-century theater architecture.
The traditional visit to the Royal Palace of Caserta has been enriched by recent inedited routes that offer to the visitors the chance to choose how, the times and the issues more in keeping with their interests and cultural curiosities.
Route A includes a visit to the historic apartment, and, immediately after the Nativity, is completed with a visit to the art gallery, wich is spread over to wings completely reorganized and the Palatine Chapel.
Route B runs through the «picture gallery, new paintings from deposits», held on the ground floor of the second courtyard.
Route C provides the opportunity to visit, on reservation, the elliptical vault cover of the staircase of honor, and the spaces of corresponding attics. The visitors can access it directly from the upper vestibule, through the stairway located to the right of the historic apartment entrance.
The Royal Park is part of the project preseanted by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli to sovereign, it is inspired by the gardens of the great european residences of the time and it merging the tradition of the italian renaissance garden with solutions introduced by André Le Notre in Versailles. The work with the delimitation of the area and planting of first plants, began in 1753, together the ones for the construction of the aqueduct Carolino whose waters from the slopesof mount Taburno would feed the fountains of the royal gardens.The formal garden, as it is this day, it is only a part of the realization planned by Luigi Vanvitelli, in fact his death in 1773 the acqueduct was finished but no fountain was made still. The work was completed by his son Carlo (1740-1821), who, while simplifying his father design, was a true filmmaker, retaining the compositional rhythm of the alternation of fountains, ponds, meadows, and waterfalls.
For those who leave the palace the gardens present themselves divided in two parts: The first one consists of a large parterre separated by a central avenue leading up to the fountain Margherita, flanked by groves of oak and hornbeam, arranged symmetrically to form a semicircular green "theatrical" scene.
To the left of building, in the so-called "Old Wood", whose name recalls the existence of a previous renaissance garden, there is the Castelluccia a construction that simulates a miniature castle, from which the young Ferdinando IV practiced in mock ground battles. In Peschiera grande an artificicial lake elliptical in shape with a small island in the middle, were it fought naval battales with a flotillia constructed just for this purpose.
The secon part of the park, made entirely by Carlo Vanvitelli, starts from the fountain Margherita, from which unfolds the famous waterways, on which from the south to the north lies the fountain of "Delfini", so-called because the water comes out from the mouths of three large marine monsters carved in the stone and the fountain of "Eolo", formed by a large exedra in which there are numerous caves that simulate the home of the winds, represented by statues of "zephire". The main axis is structured in seven sloping tanks forming as many waterfalls concluded with the fountain of Cerce that represents the fecundity of Sicily, with the statues of the goddes and the two rivers of the island. The last fountain is one in which is represented the story of Venus and Adonis.
Finally, in the basin, called Diana's Bath, below the waterfall of mount Briano, two major marmoreal blocks depicting Actaeon when, transformed into a deer, is going to be devoured by his own dogs, and Diana surrounded by nymphs, while leaves the waters. An artificial grotto, built with large blocks of tufa, the so-called Torrione, stands on the top of the waterfall, where you can enjoy the view of a unique landscape.
On the side of the fountain of Diana, from 1785, at the behest of Maria Carolina, wife of Ferdinand IV, Carlo Vanvitelli and the english gardener John Andrew Graefer realized the first Italian garden landscape.
On a surface of 24 hectares were carried out, in a short time, important works to create hills, meadows, lakes and canals fed by the waters of Carolino and enriched by new plants from all over the known world. Following the manner that from England was spreading across Europe, were built many Fabriques useful to stop and the real fun but also orangeries and greenhouses for the admission of botanical specimens and study and reproduction of plants.
Of all the environment more beautiful and full of picturesque views is the Bath of Venus, so called for the presence of a statue in Carrara marble, the work of Tommaso Solari, depicting the goddess in the act of leaving the water of a small lake, surrounded by a forest of laurels, oaks and monumental specimens of Taxus baccata. Within a rocky mantle, where there was an ancient pozzolana quarry, in the thick vegetation, lies the Criptoportico, a semicircular cave with a vault covered by lacunar and embellished with columns, pilasters and classical statues from the Farnese Collection in the that suggest the ruins of a portico of an ancient temple. Striking are the fake ruins of a Doric Temple and the Temple circular, which rises unexpectedly in the woods called "Labyrinth", work of Carlo Vanvitelli. Not far from the old greenhouses is the English Mansion , edificatata between 1790 and 1794 and intended to house the gardener Graefer. Not to be forgotten the Aperia with a semicircular plant, originally used by Vanvitelli as a water tank and later for beekeeping, and in 1826 it became a greenhouse, recently used as open-air theater.
Born as a walk through the botanical rarities the "english" garden became a veritable botanical garden where they were visible exceptional examples of Cinnamomum camphora, Taxus baccata, Cedrus libani, what is passed is the first plant Camellia Camellia japonica arrived in Europe and intended for the garden by Maria Carolina.
During the nineteenth century under the leadership of distinguished botanists Gussone and Terracciano, who strengthened activity study and the reproduction of botanical specimens, the garden was called the Royal Botanical Gardens of Caserta.
And it is the coexistence and fusion of natural scenes of great beauty, sculpture groups combined with exotic trees of great scientific interest, functional architectures and environments for the preservation and reproduction of plants, which carries the meaning and charm of the garden complex, still perceptible by anyone who frequent the winding paths or dwell in contemplation of a stream or a fake ruin.
In size and splendor, it rivals the Palace of Versailles, and has been used as a set for Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, and Angels & Demons.
But the Royal Palace of Caserta is in such a bad state, and suffers from such lax security, that local officials have called for the Italian army to be sent in to protect it.
The sprawling palace, built to the same scale as its more famous cousin at Versailles and listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, should be one of Italy’s premier tourist attractions.
Instead, it is losing visitors at an alarming rate, its statues and walls are covered in mildew, and cars regularly race up and down avenues that should be the preserve of pedestrians, cyclists, and families pushing strollers.
The sense of neglect was underlined over Easter when a group of teenagers was photographed stripped down to their shorts and splashing in a pool at the top of a huge ornamental waterfall that dominates the palace’s landscaped gardens.
The grounds of the palace were supposed to be closed to the public, but the youths – described as “a barbarian horde” by one Italian newspaper – managed to sneak in nonetheless and take advantage of spring sunshine to take a dip in the cascade.
The palace and estate now has such a security problem that troops should be called in to guard it, the mayor of the local town of Caserta said Monday. Pio Del Guadio wrote to Italy’s ministers for defense and home affairs calling for “urgent intervention” by the army.
The controversial proposal was rejected as overly alarmist by Giovanni Puglisi, the president of Italy’s commission for UNESCO sites. He said that “at most” the lax security around the palace required a beefed up police presence, rather than bringing in troops.
He also called for children in Italian schools to be taught “civic education” and a greater respect for the country’s heritage.
The sorry state of the palace is a potent emblem of the dysfunction that afflicts modern Italy and the country’s apparent inability to capitalize on its extraordinary cultural heritage, from Roman remains such as the Colosseum and Pompeii to Baroque churches and Renaissance monuments.
“The neglect of the Royal Palace of Caserta is the umpteenth sign of the growing disinterest of this country towards one of its main assets – its culture,” says Armando Cirillo, a spokesman on tourism for Italy’s biggest political bloc, the Democratic Party. “We need immediate intervention to safeguard its security and its value.”
The palace was built in the 18th century by the Bourbon rulers of what was then the Kingdom of Naples, who consciously set out to outdo the Palace of Versailles.
Now surrounded by the hard-scrabble, Mafia-ridden town of Caserta, north of Naples, it is one of the largest palaces in Europe, boasting more than 1,200 rooms.
The palace doubled for the Vatican in Angels & Demons, the film adaptation of one of Dan Brown’s best-selling thrillers. It also appeared in Mission: Impossible III, as well as two of the more recent Star Wars movies – standing in for the palace of Queen Amidala, played by Natalie Portman, on the planet Naboo.
Despite its cinematic appeal, the number of visitors has declined by around 50,000 a year for the last decade, with the palace now attracting an average of just 1,500 tourists per day.
Last month Lorenzo Ornaghi, the minister for culture, said the palace needed an injection of funds similar to that given to Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, south of Naples.
There was another blow to the sprawling royal palace a few days ago when thieves managed to access the roof and steal copper, estimated to be worth $100,000, from a lightning conductor.
The theft took place right under the noses of Carabinieri paramilitary police and the Italian Air Force, both of which have offices in the building. Heritage officials said they had no idea how the thieves managed to steal the valuable metal from such a high-profile location.
Alarm over the deteriorating state of the palace was last raised in October when chunks of masonry fell from a cornice, narrowly missing a group of tourists.
Admire the lavish Caserta Palace complex, Versailles of the Campania region. It not only housed the Bourbon kings of Naples, but also accommodated a university, the ministries, a public library, the magistracy, a large theater, a seminary, and a cathedral church. Breathtaking architecture, splendid vistas, beautiful parks and gardens – visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site near Naples!
Your ticket gives you access to the historic apartments, the exhibition Terrae Motus, and to the Park and English Garden.Reservations must be made with a minimum of 1-day notice.
Save time ordering!
Add all the museum tickets you want into your basket, then fill in the form and send your request.
PLEASE NOTE: Immediately after submitting an order, you will receive an email with your order summary plus a second email confirming your successful payment. A confirmation email with links to the vouchers will be sent one business day after you place your order (Monday afternoon for orders submitted on Friday and during the weekend). Please make sure that your anti-spam filter does not block automatic emails from help@waf.it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The time you select on the order form is your preferred time. The museum or attraction will automatically confirm the closest available time, which can be any time during opening hours on the selected date, if your preferred time is no longer available.
Cancellation Policy:
Once a confirmation code has been assigned to the reservation we can refund the cost of unused tickets minus a service fee (reservation fee and online booking fee) up to 2 days before the visit.
No refund is possible for a cancellation less than 48 hours before the visit, and for no shows.
Opening Hours:
Apartments: 8:30am - 7:00pm; last admission: 6:30pm
Exhibition: 9:00am – 6:00pm (guided visit with museum's assistants each hour)
Park and Garden:
January, February, November, and December: 8:30am – 2:30pm
March: 8:30am – 4:00pm
April: 8:30am – 5:00pm
May and September: 8:30am – 5:30pm
June, July, and August: 8:30am – 6:00pm
October: 8:30am – 4:30pm
The English Garden closes one hour before the last admission to the Park.
The Caserta Palace complex is closed on Tuesdays
For those who leave the palace the gardens present themselves divided in two parts: The first one consists of a large parterre separated by a central avenue leading up to the fountain Margherita, flanked by groves of oak and hornbeam, arranged symmetrically to form a semicircular green "theatrical" scene.
To the left of building, in the so-called "Old Wood", whose name recalls the existence of a previous renaissance garden, there is the Castelluccia a construction that simulates a miniature castle, from which the young Ferdinando IV practiced in mock ground battles. In Peschiera grande an artificicial lake elliptical in shape with a small island in the middle, were it fought naval battales with a flotillia constructed just for this purpose.
The secon part of the park, made entirely by Carlo Vanvitelli, starts from the fountain Margherita, from which unfolds the famous waterways, on which from the south to the north lies the fountain of "Delfini", so-called because the water comes out from the mouths of three large marine monsters carved in the stone and the fountain of "Eolo", formed by a large exedra in which there are numerous caves that simulate the home of the winds, represented by statues of "zephire". The main axis is structured in seven sloping tanks forming as many waterfalls concluded with the fountain of Cerce that represents the fecundity of Sicily, with the statues of the goddes and the two rivers of the island. The last fountain is one in which is represented the story of Venus and Adonis.
Finally, in the basin, called Diana's Bath, below the waterfall of mount Briano, two major marmoreal blocks depicting Actaeon when, transformed into a deer, is going to be devoured by his own dogs, and Diana surrounded by nymphs, while leaves the waters. An artificial grotto, built with large blocks of tufa, the so-called Torrione, stands on the top of the waterfall, where you can enjoy the view of a unique landscape.
On the side of the fountain of Diana, from 1785, at the behest of Maria Carolina, wife of Ferdinand IV, Carlo Vanvitelli and the english gardener John Andrew Graefer realized the first Italian garden landscape.
On a surface of 24 hectares were carried out, in a short time, important works to create hills, meadows, lakes and canals fed by the waters of Carolino and enriched by new plants from all over the known world. Following the manner that from England was spreading across Europe, were built many Fabriques useful to stop and the real fun but also orangeries and greenhouses for the admission of botanical specimens and study and reproduction of plants.
Of all the environment more beautiful and full of picturesque views is the Bath of Venus, so called for the presence of a statue in Carrara marble, the work of Tommaso Solari, depicting the goddess in the act of leaving the water of a small lake, surrounded by a forest of laurels, oaks and monumental specimens of Taxus baccata. Within a rocky mantle, where there was an ancient pozzolana quarry, in the thick vegetation, lies the Criptoportico, a semicircular cave with a vault covered by lacunar and embellished with columns, pilasters and classical statues from the Farnese Collection in the that suggest the ruins of a portico of an ancient temple. Striking are the fake ruins of a Doric Temple and the Temple circular, which rises unexpectedly in the woods called "Labyrinth", work of Carlo Vanvitelli. Not far from the old greenhouses is the English Mansion , edificatata between 1790 and 1794 and intended to house the gardener Graefer. Not to be forgotten the Aperia with a semicircular plant, originally used by Vanvitelli as a water tank and later for beekeeping, and in 1826 it became a greenhouse, recently used as open-air theater.
Born as a walk through the botanical rarities the "english" garden became a veritable botanical garden where they were visible exceptional examples of Cinnamomum camphora, Taxus baccata, Cedrus libani, what is passed is the first plant Camellia Camellia japonica arrived in Europe and intended for the garden by Maria Carolina.
During the nineteenth century under the leadership of distinguished botanists Gussone and Terracciano, who strengthened activity study and the reproduction of botanical specimens, the garden was called the Royal Botanical Gardens of Caserta.
And it is the coexistence and fusion of natural scenes of great beauty, sculpture groups combined with exotic trees of great scientific interest, functional architectures and environments for the preservation and reproduction of plants, which carries the meaning and charm of the garden complex, still perceptible by anyone who frequent the winding paths or dwell in contemplation of a stream or a fake ruin.
In size and splendor, it rivals the Palace of Versailles, and has been used as a set for Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, and Angels & Demons.
But the Royal Palace of Caserta is in such a bad state, and suffers from such lax security, that local officials have called for the Italian army to be sent in to protect it.
The sprawling palace, built to the same scale as its more famous cousin at Versailles and listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, should be one of Italy’s premier tourist attractions.
RECOMMENDED: Think you know Europe? Take our geography quiz.
The sense of neglect was underlined over Easter when a group of teenagers was photographed stripped down to their shorts and splashing in a pool at the top of a huge ornamental waterfall that dominates the palace’s landscaped gardens.
The grounds of the palace were supposed to be closed to the public, but the youths – described as “a barbarian horde” by one Italian newspaper – managed to sneak in nonetheless and take advantage of spring sunshine to take a dip in the cascade.
The palace and estate now has such a security problem that troops should be called in to guard it, the mayor of the local town of Caserta said Monday. Pio Del Guadio wrote to Italy’s ministers for defense and home affairs calling for “urgent intervention” by the army.
The controversial proposal was rejected as overly alarmist by Giovanni Puglisi, the president of Italy’s commission for UNESCO sites. He said that “at most” the lax security around the palace required a beefed up police presence, rather than bringing in troops.
He also called for children in Italian schools to be taught “civic education” and a greater respect for the country’s heritage.
The sorry state of the palace is a potent emblem of the dysfunction that afflicts modern Italy and the country’s apparent inability to capitalize on its extraordinary cultural heritage, from Roman remains such as the Colosseum and Pompeii to Baroque churches and Renaissance monuments.
“The neglect of the Royal Palace of Caserta is the umpteenth sign of the growing disinterest of this country towards one of its main assets – its culture,” says Armando Cirillo, a spokesman on tourism for Italy’s biggest political bloc, the Democratic Party. “We need immediate intervention to safeguard its security and its value.”
The palace was built in the 18th century by the Bourbon rulers of what was then the Kingdom of Naples, who consciously set out to outdo the Palace of Versailles.
Now surrounded by the hard-scrabble, Mafia-ridden town of Caserta, north of Naples, it is one of the largest palaces in Europe, boasting more than 1,200 rooms.
The palace doubled for the Vatican in Angels & Demons, the film adaptation of one of Dan Brown’s best-selling thrillers. It also appeared in Mission: Impossible III, as well as two of the more recent Star Wars movies – standing in for the palace of Queen Amidala, played by Natalie Portman, on the planet Naboo.
Despite its cinematic appeal, the number of visitors has declined by around 50,000 a year for the last decade, with the palace now attracting an average of just 1,500 tourists per day.
Last month Lorenzo Ornaghi, the minister for culture, said the palace needed an injection of funds similar to that given to Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, south of Naples.
There was another blow to the sprawling royal palace a few days ago when thieves managed to access the roof and steal copper, estimated to be worth $100,000, from a lightning conductor.
The theft took place right under the noses of Carabinieri paramilitary police and the Italian Air Force, both of which have offices in the building. Heritage officials said they had no idea how the thieves managed to steal the valuable metal from such a high-profile location.
Alarm over the deteriorating state of the palace was last raised in October when chunks of masonry fell from a cornice, narrowly missing a group of tourists.
Admire the lavish Caserta Palace complex, Versailles of the Campania region. It not only housed the Bourbon kings of Naples, but also accommodated a university, the ministries, a public library, the magistracy, a large theater, a seminary, and a cathedral church. Breathtaking architecture, splendid vistas, beautiful parks and gardens – visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site near Naples!
Your ticket gives you access to the historic apartments, the exhibition Terrae Motus, and to the Park and English Garden.Reservations must be made with a minimum of 1-day notice.
Save time ordering!
Add all the museum tickets you want into your basket, then fill in the form and send your request.
PLEASE NOTE: Immediately after submitting an order, you will receive an email with your order summary plus a second email confirming your successful payment. A confirmation email with links to the vouchers will be sent one business day after you place your order (Monday afternoon for orders submitted on Friday and during the weekend). Please make sure that your anti-spam filter does not block automatic emails from help@waf.it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The time you select on the order form is your preferred time. The museum or attraction will automatically confirm the closest available time, which can be any time during opening hours on the selected date, if your preferred time is no longer available.
Cancellation Policy:
Once a confirmation code has been assigned to the reservation we can refund the cost of unused tickets minus a service fee (reservation fee and online booking fee) up to 2 days before the visit.
No refund is possible for a cancellation less than 48 hours before the visit, and for no shows.
Opening Hours:
Apartments: 8:30am - 7:00pm; last admission: 6:30pm
Exhibition: 9:00am – 6:00pm (guided visit with museum's assistants each hour)
Park and Garden:
January, February, November, and December: 8:30am – 2:30pm
March: 8:30am – 4:00pm
April: 8:30am – 5:00pm
May and September: 8:30am – 5:30pm
June, July, and August: 8:30am – 6:00pm
October: 8:30am – 4:30pm
The English Garden closes one hour before the last admission to the Park.
The Caserta Palace complex is closed on Tuesdays
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