“Saw Hackert at his apartment in his old castle where he lives very comfortably and has room enough to entertain his guests. The new castle is a palace worthy of a king, a huge quadrilateral building like the Escorial with a number of inner courtyards. Its location is extraordinarily beautiful, upon one of the most fertile plains in the world…” (J.W. Goethe)
Caserta can be identified by its Royal Palace. After all, the city of Caserta, as we know it today, started its development after the Vanvitellian Palace was built. Visiting the Royal Palace of Caserta, means getting lost in the grandeur and magnificence of the way its halls are decorated. You can relive the lavishness of the Bourbon Court, its progress, the feasts with musical accompaniment, hunting and fishing trips in the park, the palace intrigue, the love stories and affairs, Garibaldi Expedition, the House of Savoy, and the armistice when World War II was over. The Palace furnishings, both the ones from the 19th and the ones from the 18th centuries, are all originals, except for Ferdinando II of Bourbon’s bedroom, he was also known as “the Bomb”. Included in the tour of the Palace are both the public halls (waiting rooms and the throne room) and the private rooms (bedrooms and bathrooms). The massive park at the front of the Palace is impressive. An Italian Garden spanning nearly 300 acres is divided by an avenue decorated with fountains, pools, sculptures, and a waterfall. Commissioned by Queen Maria Carolina d’Austria, the enchanting English Garden includes a large variety of ancient botanical specimens which trigger emotions and astonishment to its visitors. Many illustrious travellers wanted to visit the Royal Palace of Caserta on their journeys, as the Palace was one of the stops on the Grand Tour d’Italie’s itinerary. Due to its historical significance it has also been used as a filming location in a number of different movie productions. Another important attraction is Caserta Vecchia (the Old Caserta): a small and suggestive medieval village located on the slopes of Mount Virgo. It was the first settlement in an elevated position compared to the surrounding plain, and it was its location which gave the city its name: Caserta, from the Latin Casa irta (home village located above). It’s a lovely agglomeration, populated by fairies and princesses, where the remains of an ancient castle and a cathedral emerge, representing some of the greatest example of Romanesque architectural style in Campania, with Arabic and Norman influences in style.