Palace Of Caserta
41 04'12 "N 14 19'33" E / 41.07, 14.32583
The Palace of Caserta (Italian is a residence of the royal family of the Bourbons of Naples. The monumental, declared world heritage by UNESCO , is exceptional in the way it brings together a magnificent palace with its park and gardens, as well as natural woodland, hunting lodges and an industrial complex for production of silk. It is an eloquent expression of the Enlightenment , integrated rather than imposed on its natural landscape.
Summary |
History
The construction of the palace was begun by Charles de Bourbon (no specific numbers when he became king of the Two Sicilies in 1734 , but was known as Charles V of the Kingdom of Sicily and Charles VII of Naples, and Charles III of Spain when he returned to Madrid from 1759). Charles de Bourbon was born in Madrid January 20, 1716 and died there on 14 December 1788.
This multi-character titles should not be confused with Charles III of Naples which he constantly refers to him as he is much older. The project was entrusted to the architect Luigi Vanvitelli in the middle of the eighteenth century to rival Versailles and the Royal Palace in Madrid. The palace would indeed be the new status symbol of Bourbon: a front side of its power and magnificence of the other effective and efficient instrument. It was part of a larger political plan of Charles, who wanted to move in Caserta the main administrative structures of the state, while linking the city to the capital, Naples , a monumental avenue of more than twenty kilometers. This plan was however never realized.
The construction of the palace began in 1752 and concluded in 1780 , supervised by Carlo Vanvitelli (it) who replaced his father after his death.
The palace
When in 1752 Charles III of Bourbon had started work to build the palace of Caserta, his goal was to make the Versailles of Naples. Its objective was fully achieved through the creation of the architect Luigi Vanvitelli, a worthy representative of the European classicist trend and creates a balanced and rigorous architectural language. The building includes a huge linear structure that includes four courses within the same. At the architectonic regular, with long facades framed by the angles slightly protruding body, is a strict distribution of interior spaces, articulated according to the requirements of functionality and accurate representation. From laying the foundation stone January 20, 1752, day of the thirty-sixth anniversary of the king, it was not until 1774 that construction is completed. The death of Spanish king Ferdinand IV, and return to Madrid by Charles III to replace him on the throne, do not interrupt the work of the palace, which was completed after the death of Luigi Vanvitelli by his son Carlo. The central portal, which opens on the faade in travertine and terra cotta above a base boss gives access to a gallery with three naves, all connected by corridors. The main hall from the staircase that rises to the palace chapel and royal apartments, decorated and arranged between the late seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century, by artists and artisans. A park was conceived around the palace, also taking on such famous garden of the Sun King, whose decor and furnishings were designed by Vanvitelli himself ...
Park
The park covers 120 hectares behind the palace, partly on hilly terrain. It builds on the Park Palace of Versailles and some do not hesitate to say that even surpasses in beauty and majesty.
Facing the center of the rear facade of the palace opens a very long driveway with fountains, pools and artificial waterfalls in succession. Depart from the main aisle of smaller cross aisles that sink in a fairly dense vegetation, which then gives way to other mythological fountain adorned with statues, a fish pond and a lake of swans.
The entire park is modeled after the Italian model, geometric and rational.
To supply water for the operation of all elements of the park, Vanvitelli had specially built an aqueduct that runs through the countryside for many miles.
Palace of Caserta in film
It was in this palace that the scenes were filmed Palace Theed in the films Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the clones and some passages of the film Mission Impossible.
Bibliography
- (En) "The gardens of the royal residence in Caserta" in Caroline Holmes, Follies and architectural fantasies in Europe (photographs by Nic Barlow, Introduction by Tim Knox, translated from English by Odile Menegaux), Citadels & Mazenod, Paris , 2008, p. 112-115 ( ISBN 978-2-85088-261-6 )
External Links
on 
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Portal architecture and urbanism -
Portal of the eighteenth century -
Global Heritage Portal -
Portal Campania
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