Royal Palace of Caserta

One of the largest royal palaces ever built, made for the Bourbon kings of Naples, with four courtyards and a vast cascade garden.

The palace was inspired by Versailles in France and Madrid's Royal Palace, and it has a huge park of about 120 hectares with fountains and a long cascade. In 1997 UNESCO listed the palace, park and nearby sites as a World Heritage Site. Its grand halls have also appeared in films, including Star Wars.

A palace for a king

King Charles VII of Naples, who later became Charles III of Spain, wanted a palace to rival Versailles. He hired Luigi Vanvitelli in 1752. After Luigi died in 1773, his son Carlo continued the work. The original plan was never fully finished, but what exists is enormous.

Inside and outside

The palace has five floors, 34 staircases and two dozen state apartments. Two cross-shaped arms join the sides of the rectangle, forming four inner courtyards. Behind it, a line of fountains and cascades runs along a long canal, with statues showing scenes from myths such as Diana and Actaeon and Venus and Adonis.

Palace on screen

Its stairways and rooms have been used for films. The palace appears as Queen Amidala's royal palace in the Star Wars films, and it also showed up in a Mission: Impossible movie.

On the globe

The model shows the huge rectangular palace with its four courtyards and the long cascade garden behind it.