The Palace

The Royal Palace of Caserta own a rectangular plan articulated on factory buildings, facing onto four large inner courtyards. A great portico (optical telescope) is the ideal connection with the park and the waterfall, located at the peak of the scenographic perspective escape thus created.

The great Staircase of Honour connects the lower and the upper floor, and so to the royal apartments. The rooms used by the royal family were redone many times during the century, to reach the so called “homogeneity of the interiors” typical of XVIII century architectural and decorative design,and partly with of the XIX century taste for composite furnishings and tiny objects.

On the upper vestibule in front of the Great Staircase of Honour, you can visit 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 designed by Jules-Hardouin Mansart.

The Court Theatre, located on the western side of the palace, is a wonderful example of XVIII century theatre architecture.

Technical data of the Palace

Dimensions LxPXA: 250m X 250m X 36m(42m max);
Area of 100.000m² with 5 floors (excluding two underground floors and 4 courtyards);
Volume of 2.000.0000m3 /70million cubic feets (it is the biggest royal palace in the world);
1200 rooms, 1742 windows, 1026 chimneys, 56 stairs;
Cost: 6.000.000 of ducats;
The Gardens covers an area of 120ha/1.200.000m2 with a length of 3.3km;
The complex has a total length of about 4 km (square + palace + park);
Considering also the Carolino Aqueduct the total length is almost 40km.