The Royal Palace of Caserta is a former royal residence that was built in the 18th century. It is the largest royal residence in the world.
Constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples, the Palace covers an area of about 235,000 m. The architect of this magnificent palace was Luigi Vanvitelli.
The whole architectural complex at Caserta was primarily designed to give the kingdom a new capital.
The King wanted a new royal court and administrative center for the kingdom, in a location protected from sea attack, and distant from the revolt-prone and congested city of Naples.
Included is the Royal Palace, the San Leucio complex, the stunning gardens, the park, and the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli. In the upper part of the Palace is a botanical garden called “The English Garden” which was designed in 1780 by Carlo Vanvitelli.
It is one of the oldest gardens created in Europe.
The majestic interior of the palace served as a US army Headquarters in the movie Anzio in 1967, and has been used as a filming location in a number of other movie productions.
In 1997, the interior was replicated as Queen Amidala’s Palace of the planet Naboo in Star Wars I- The Phantom Menace. It was used as a location for four days after it had been closed to visitors.
In 2002, the same palace was used as Queen Jamillia’s palace in Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones.
The same palace was also used as Vatican City in the movie Mission: Impossible III.
The main staircase was also used as the Vatican’s staircase in the movie Angels & Demons.
In 1997, the palace was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The royal Palace and the park, the Belvedere buildings, the English Garden and the Bosco di San Silvestro are protected as monuments.
Thousands of visitors travel to Caserta every year just to see this magnificent wonder of architecture.
In addition take a look at this interesting video about Medieval castles