In 1752 the construction of what had to become one of the most imposing palaces of Europe began.

Built far from the coast on the fertile plain of the Caserta area, it was designed by Luigi Vanvitelli at the request of Charles of Bourbon. It extends over a surface of 44,000 square metres and numbers more than 1,200 rooms.

The majesty of its internal decorations, the rich art gallery, the magnificence of its furnitures permit the visitor to plunge into the atmosphere of the Neapolitan court in the XVIII century.

The palace is surrounded by an enormous park and to supply the beautiful fountains that decorate it (works by different sculptors showing mythological subjects), an aqueduct was built specifically for them and inaugurated in 1762.

In 1782 the English garden ordered and financed by Queen Maria Carolina was laid out. It shows romantic architectural works by Vanvitelli, a cryptportico, a false nymph, statues from the ruins of Pompeii and many splendid exotic plants. The Royal palace of Caserta and its surrounding park is emulates the splendour of the French court of Versailles.