Giardini Reali - Parco Reggia di Caserta — Attraction in Caserta

Designed by architect Luigi Vanvitelli, the works for the Gardens of the Royal Palace of Caserta began in 1753 and combined the design of the Italian Renaissance Garden with a solution similar to the Versailles gardens. Vanvitelli introduced what is know as the Telescope Effect by designing a straight avenue that started from Naples and ended at the waterfall's top that is located at the end of the Gardens of the Royal Palace of Caserta. While designing the Royal Palace of Caserta, Vanvitelli imagined the gardens as an extension of the palace, with the building and gardens telescoping into the distance. To achieve this effect, the architect created a series of long, straight vistas that ended in perspective views of the palace. He also used a series of mirrors and reflecting pools to further extend the sightlines. The gardens spread over 120 hectares and were completed in 1786, maintaining the status of one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe since their completion. The current garden at the Royal Palace of Caserta is a reduced version of Luigi’s original design though. In fact after Luigi passed away in 1773, work halted for almost 4 years. In 1777, his son Carlo presented the King with a reduced version of the original design because of economic difficulties at the time and the number of fountains in the second part of the Caserta Palace Gardens. However, Carlo Vanvitelli made sure that his father’s vision for the garden was accomplished with the 3.3...

We bought tickets for the royal apartments, and the gardens. We decided to do the gardens first given the temperature outside was already in the mid-80s F. We brought 3 liters of water with us, and we even refilled a bottle at a water station. We also paid 2.5 Euro each to take the shuttle to the top fountain (the pathway to the headwaters was closed).

First, the gardens are massive. Even in moderate temperatures, I doubt you could see everything it has to offer. Secondly, just walking from the top fountain back to the palace is more than 2.7 km, so if you did that without a shuttle to the top, you're talking more than 5K. You have not even explored the areas to the side of the main fountain or the royal apartments.

As mentioned, the heat was bad. By the time we finished our walk down the fountains, it was about 95F. We knew we could not do the apartments; we were just worn out.

This is truly a must-see UNESCO site. It may not be from Roman times, but it is part of the rich history of Italy. The sheer size and grandeur are awesome, and if the weather is right, you can enjoy it even more...

Bring your walking shoes! (Alternatively, there is a shuttle bus and it's possible to hire bicycles :-)) The Royal Gardens stretch from the Palace to the fountain of Diana and Actaeon and are modelled on various gardens of the Baroque period. Stepped ponds descend from the raised landscape interspersed with various fountains. It's a formal garden so there's not much in the way of plants and flowering shrubs but rather tree lined avenues which offer shade either side of the water feature. There are hundreds of statues everywhere - on the fountains, half hidden in trees and all still beautifully preserved. At the end of the walk, there is a less formal garden called the English Garden, it's planting is more relaxed and has winding paths around a small lake complete with a faux temple. Again, there are few flowering plants but instead an array of evergreens and palms which give the garden a sub-tropical feel like somewhere in Cornwall. Give yourself plenty of time to explore this beautiful gem in the Campanian...