The Reggia of Caserta

The Reggia’s grandeur is obvious when seen from above, all it takes is a satellite image. The gigantic, slightly irregular green rectangle that stands out right in the centre of Caserta is the park of the Royal Palace. In terms of size and style, the architect hired by the king, Dutchman Lodewijk van Wittel, whose name was Italianized to Luigi Vanvitelli, clearly modelled his design on the royal palace of Versailles, perhaps in part because Charles of Bourbon was a blood relation of the French monarchy.

The Interior of the Reggia of Caserta 

The sumptuousness continues on the inside. It’s easy to be astonished by the scenic staircase of honour and the Palatine Chapel with its obvious Parisian inspiration, evident in the rectangular plan covered by a barrel vault and the semi-circular apse. Then there’s the coffered wood ceiling, the multicoloured marble floor, the stairs that lead up to the tribune from which the royal family attended mass from above. The original 18^th-century design appears only partially in the royal apartments, which, though they have lost most of their furnishings due to earthquakes and looting (by Napoleon as well as Piedmontese, who did, however, leave Queen Maria Carolina’s bidet because they didn’t know what to do with that “guitar-shaped object”), still maintain the elegance of the era. Other rooms reflect decidedly 19^th-century tastes.

But there’s more. Because the Reggia’s spaces also contain works by Beuys, Haring, and Warhol, to name only a few of the contributors to the monothematic permanent collection “Terrae Motus.” An exhibition through which to explore not just contemporary art, but also the story of the dramatic 1980 Irpinia earthquake. It was this tragic event that stirred the conscience of Lucio Amelio, an historic Neapolitan art dealer, who rallied some of the most influential and socially-engaged artists of the time. The result are 72 works that explore the themes of grief and destruction.

Lastly, like any royal residence worth its salt, the Reggia offered its resident monarchs a place for entertainment: the Court Theatre. Overseen by Vanvitelli in person, it is a smaller version of the Theatre of San Carlo in Naples. The royals reserved themselves a place of honour here as well, in this case the central loge, with a baldachin and a crown covered in goldleaf. Today the Court Theatre is a Touring Club Italiano “Aperti per Voi” site, visitable thanks to TCI’s volunteer members. A note of unexpected pop culture: the theatre’s only surviving set was restored with a donation by Tom Cruise, after several scenes of Mission Impossible 3 were filmed here in 2005.