The Italian Versailles, with its park and the Great Waterfall
The Reggia di Caserta is the largest royal residence in the world by volume and one of the most spectacular monuments of European baroque, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was commissioned in 1752 by Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples, who wanted a palace capable of rivalling Versailles, and designed by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli.
The palace has 1,200 rooms arranged around four courtyards, with a monumental grand staircase that has appeared in films such as Star Wars and Mission: Impossible, a court chapel, a theatre and sumptuous royal apartments. Behind it stretches the park, over three kilometres long: a perspective of fountains, pools and cascades populated by mythological statues culminates in the Great Waterfall, 80 metres high, fed by the Carolino aqueduct. To one side lies the English Garden, a romantic garden with exotic plants, false ruins and the Bath of Venus.
Tip: the park is enormous; hire a bicycle or take the shuttle bus to the waterfall and walk back. The palace is a short walk from Caserta railway station.
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