Reggia di Caserta Unofficial

In the mid-1700s, the Kingdom of Naples was under constant English threat, therefore King Charles of Bourbon wanted to transfer the capital from Naples to Caserta in order to prevent it from being bombarded by English ships by sea. He entrusted the construction of the new palace to the most important architect of the time, Luigi Vanvitelli, and the work began in 1752, on the occasion of the King’s birthday. 

In 1756 the projects of the Royal Palace were printed and disseminated throughout Europe, and this meant that, over time, its architectural style became so imitated as to transform the Baroque into the future neoclassical architecture, and anticipating the future principle of form and function, threw the foundations of contemporary architecture.

After the death of Luigi Vanvitelli, the work was continued by his son Carlo who completed it. During the Napoleonic domination some rooms were created, then with the return of the Bourbons the last room to be completed was the Throne Room in 1845. With the unification of Italy the Reggia began to be abandoned by the Savoys, and the spoiling of its furnishings immediately began , then continued during the Second World War by the Anglo-American troops.

On April 29, 1945, the so-called Surrender of Caserta was signed in the Royal Palace of Caserta, i.e. the surrender of the Nazi-fascists which led to the end of the Second World War. From 1948 to 2016 it was the headquarters of the Air Force, and in 1994 the headquarters of the G7.

The Royal Palace of Caserta is one of the main cultural assets in Italy and a Unesco heritage site.