The Royal Palace of Caserta is an
extraordinary
architectural complex which was built, according to the
wishes of the
king of Naples, Charles III of Bourbon and his wife Maria
Amalia of
Saxony, during the Age of Enlightenment.
The sumptuos building was planned by the famous architect
Luigi
Vanvitelli who placed it into a spectacular
natural landscape, where he added fountains, falls, small
lakes and
marble statues to embellish it and form a unique marvellous
scenery.
The palace and its huge park are outstanding examples
of a urban planning created by merging the most important
Vitruvian
principles and the Neoclassic culture in vogue during the
second half
of the 18th century.
The Royal Palace of Caserta is a Unesco World Heritage Site
together
with the nearby San Leucio Palace which was built by the
king of
Naples, Ferdinand IV of
Bourbon and his wife Maria Carolina of Austria. The San
Leucio complex
was built to host a silk factory and its workers were living
into an
ideal community environment where all their rights were
garanteed.
Close to Caserta there is also another interesting small
Royal Palace
known as Carditello. This builindg is surronded by fertile
plains where
mozzarella cheese is produced.
The area surrounding Caserta is, in fact, known all
over the
world as "Campania Felix", the Happy Land, as it has been
celebrated,
since ancient times, for the fertility of its soil, the
beauty of its
landscapes and the production of tasty wines as well as
dairy products.
Here in fact you can find the best buffalo mozzarella cheese
but also
lots of delicious salumi to taste with wines like the rich
and
fully-bodied Falerno of Massico or the slightly sweet and
fruity
Falanghina.
Other attractions in the
area are:
*
the old town of Casa Hirta (Casertavecchia) with its maze
of narrow
streets, the remains of the castle and the cathedral.
*
the ancient town of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, known as the
Altera Roma, its
amphitheatre, Italy's second largest one, the Mithraeum
and the
archaeological museum.
* the medieval Basilica of Sant'Angelo in Formis, built
over the ancient Temple of Diana Tifatina
*
the town of Sessa Aurunca, known for the ruins of the
roman town, the
castle, the Duomo and the old town centre.
For
this amazing tour of Caserta and its surroundings,
please contact our Qualified
Tourist Guide in Campania
region
