Naples/Caserta - Palace of Caserta - Interior

Lion on Staircase at the Palace of Caserta

Staircase

Staircase at Caserta with Octagonal Hall

The central octagonal hall on the Piano Nobile was inspired by Santa Maria Della Salute in Venice (one of my favorite Churches, so light and airy). Walking around the hall the spatial composition is mind bogglingly beautiful. The staircase is magnificent; absolutely a work of art, double plus the lions are so cute!

The chapel was designed after Louis XIV’s royal chapel at Versailles, it is a fair imitation. The throne room has an incredible ceiling, however, after that though the interior goes downhill very quickly. I’m not sure if it just needs restoration but it really seems like the designers were just phoning it in. Now this could be because the palace was remodeled in the early 19th century during that whole Joachim Murat fiasco. Or it could be that I am just spoiled after the palaces of Russia and France.

Some of the neoclassical-empire style decoration is elegant, but most of it is ponderously academic, over large, lacking in detail or in a few cases, sense.

But the staircase and the octagonal hall! Totally worth the trip.

Chapel at Caserta 

Naples /Caserta - Palace of Caserta

Caserta, Front Facade 

If you have a half day to spare and have already visited Herculaneum I would recommend heading out to the Palace of Caserta.

Trains leave Napoli Centrale in Piazza Garibaldi about every 10-20 minutes. It’s a fairly easy ride on a commuter train. Tried to take a bus, but was repeatedly mauled by ancient gypsy woman while trying to read the timetable, so went with the train.

The train drops off as Caserta’s railway station in, can you guess? Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi in Caserta. As you exit the station the palace is right there in front of you being big and palace-like. I am not kidding about the big, at 1,200 rooms it is one of the largest palaces in Europe.

Started in the 1750’s Caserta, when the Bourbon monarchy was ruling Naples, it was designed with the massive palace of Versailles in mind. However, Caserta was finished in less than thirty years whereas Construction on Versailles continued for 120 years and never reached full completion. Like the Royal Palace in Naples it was built as a symbol of power and as a sort of tribute to the idea of monarchy. Somewhat like the Escorial in Spain, Caserta was meant to be more than just a palace. It was also to contain a military barracks and a university, skipping the monastery included in the Escorial’s plan. I get the impression that Carlo de Bourbon really just liked huge buildings. The palace of the poor in Naples was built at the same time (see: Albergo dei Poverei).

In April 1945 the palace was the site of the signing of terms of the unconditional German surrender of forces in Italy. The agreement covered between 600,000 and 900,000 soldiers along the Italian Front including troops in sections of Austria. It was also used in the tragic Star Wars Episodes I and II and served as the Vatican in a number of better movies.

Rear, Center Facade

One of four courtyard

Naples - Church of San Gregorio Armeno

On the Via San Gregorio Armeno is the Church and Monastery of San Gregorio Armeno, go figure? The street is famous for the makers of nativity scenes and all of the pieces that go in them. Some people refer to it as Christmas Alley.

Like all of the other buildings in this section of Naples the church was built on the site of a Roman temple.

One of the most intriguing elements of the complex is the lovely tower perched over the road; a truly beautiful piece of architecture.

And San Gregorio? Well He brought Christianity to Armenia then died of natural causes. In the fifth century his bones ended up all over the place including Naples and the church was founded here to house his relics. The building there now is actually from the 16th century and has a baroque interior that rivals any in Europe with its flamboyant treatment.