Royal Palace of Caserta

The Bourbon king Charles (Carlo di Borbone) had the Reggia di Caserta built from 1752 to plans by Luigi Vanvitelli; construction and decoration continued almost without a break for about a century. The palace has five floors, four large inner courtyards and three monumental entrance halls, and its rooms and halls are too many to count. Since 1997 the complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Vanvitelli laid out the park along a central axis roughly 3 km long. To feed its cascades, fountains and ponds he had an aqueduct of about 38 km built, which came into service in 1762 and is also part of the World Heritage Site. According to the tourist board, bicycle hire and left-luggage facilities are available on site. For current opening days and special openings, see the Reggia's official website.

According to Reid's Guide and Routard, the palace highlights include the Royal Apartments, the Throne Room, the grand staircase, the Palatine Chapel and the Court Theatre. The park covers about 120 ha and runs from the Italian garden, with the fountain of Diana and Actaeon, through the Bosco Vecchio to the English garden. Allow 40 to 90 minutes for the palace and one to three hours more for the park; a shuttle runs to the Great Cascade.