Caserta and Matese
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Generale_INGL 25-03-2008 13:28 Pagina 122 Caserta and Matese 122 123 This is the area referred to as “Campania Felix ” by ancient populations due to its privileged position i and the fertility of its soil. Irrigated by the Volturno and favoured by a mild climate, the province extends from the sea to the Apennines, alternating between lush vegetation and places of great historic and cultural interest. The vast plains of the Caserta area Ente Provinciale per il open onto the sea and host one of the most famous Turismo di Caserta and widely visited monuments of the Region: the Palazzo Reale Royal Palace (Reggia) of Caserta. tel. 0823 321137 www.eptcaserta.it Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Capua and Sessa Aurunca, are also of historic and archaeological Ente Parco del Matese interest, all concentrated in the area of Caserta via Sannitica known as Terra di Lavoro. The Domitian shore is Piedimonte Matese the province’s coastline, an area rich with pine tel. 0823 917232 stands, wide sandy beaches and famous bathing Comunità Montana establishments. Monte Santa Croce Inland, the massif of Matese offers marvellous via Roma 30 uncontaminated nature and villages where art and Roccamonfina popular traditions are still strongly felt; one of the tel. 0823 921276 least contaminated areas of Italy. Calvi Vecchia Scavi archeologici di Cales strada statale Casilina tel. 0823 652533 Capua Museo Provinciale Campano via Roma 68 tel. 0823 961402 Santa Maria Capua Vetere Museo Archeologico dell’antica Capua via Roberto d’Angiò 48 tel. 0823 844206 Caserta Reggia e Parco via Douhet 22 tel. 0823 462078/448084 Oasi di San Silvestro Centro Ambientale WWF tel. 0823 361300 Complesso Monumentale del Belvedere di San Leucio Royal Palace of Caserta tel. 0823 301817 Giugliano Area archeologica di Liternum (località Lago Patria sulla Circumvallazione) tel. 081 8391281 famous travellers San Tammaro Museo dell’Agricoltura The palace will be more beautiful than Versailles… the acqueduct Meridionale is so magnificent that I have never seen one similar elsewhere. Real Sito di Carditello tel. 0823 278311 Jacob Jonas Björnstaehl, 1771 Generale_INGL 25-03-2008 13:28 Pagina 124 not to be missed caserta in 1 day caserta in 3 days shopping outings with children Royal Palace and Park of Caserta Royal Palace and Park Royal Palace and Park Wooden, copper, wrought The Royal Palace and Park Casertavecchia of Caserta of Caserta iron and wicker objects of Caserta Santa Maria Capua Vetere Casertavecchia San Leucio Village Embroidery, laceware Amphitheatre and Museum Sant’Angelo in Formis Casertavecchia of the Gladiators at Lake Matese Santa Maria Capua Vetere Santa Maria Capua Vetere Valle dell’Inferno Piedimonte Matese Variconi Oasis (Valley of Hell) Lake Matese Castles and Lakes around the Matese 124 125 events May August-September _Artichoke Festival _September in the Village Maddaloni Music, theatre dance, visual _Strawberry Festival arts Vairano Patenora Medieval village of Casertavecchia May-July _Leuciana Festival September Royal Belvedere of San _Caserta...In Blues Leucio Caserta _Yellow Bread Festival June Casertavecchia _Peasant-Style Prosciutto _Wine-making Contest Festival 'Immortalising Falernum' Liberi Falciano del Massico _Asprinio Wine Festival _Wine Festival Cesa Pontelatone _Buffalo Mozzarella and Meat Festival October Pontelatone _Chestnut Festival Roccamonfina June-September _Annurca Apple Festival _Caserta Summer Festival Valle di Maddaloni Caserta November July _Bread, Oil and Chicory _Gypsy-Style Pancetta Caiazzo Festival Liberi December _Living Crib July-August Casertavecchia _Stone Theatres Concerts and performances in ancient theatres _'Out of Place Places' Theatre and music review Letino, Matese Park July-September _Art White Nights Frescoe in the Royal Palace Municipalities in the Province of Caserta July-October _Light Trails in the Caserta Palace art and archaeology nature and parks for young people specialities spas and fitness The Palace describes itself in Royal Palace and Park Matese Regional Park Casertavecchia Campanian buffalo meat Sinuessa Thermal baths the moonlight of Caserta Lake of Matese Baia Domizia Chestnuts from Roccamonfina San Leucio Village Regional Natural Reserve Marina of Varcaturo Buffalo Mozzarella Dop August Casertavecchia of Foce Volturno and Costa Natural Regional Park of _Falerno Wine Festival Santa Maria Capua Vetere di Licola Matese (skiing, canyoning, wines Cellole Sant’Angelo in Formis Regional Natural Park free flight, free climbing) Falerno del Massico Doc Rovine di Liternum of Roccamonfina-Foce Sessa Aurunca del Garigliano Sant’Angelo d’Alife Castle Generale_INGL 25-03-2008 13:28 Pagina 126 The Royal Bourbon famous travellers sites: Caserta, The gardens of the park are stupendous, in perfect harmony with strip that is all one garden. San Leucio Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 1787 and Carditello 126 127 The Royal Palace of Caserta is one of the most If the Royal Palace is an exultation of architecture and sumptuous palaces ever to be constructed for a décor, then the Park mirrors its importance in the majestic King. In 1751 King Charles of Bourbon engaged the fountains, with subtle plays of water, and in the lush green architect Luigi Vanvitelli to design a palace that that disappears into the horizon. The central boulevard, about 3 kilometers long, makes a powerful impact, adorned could compete with the great residences of the other with fountains, waterfalls and groups of statues tucked european sovereigns, in particular Versailles. In just away in the geometry of the woods, grass lawns and flower a few years, an enourmous complex began to take beds. The sequence of water culminates in the Great form on the vast plains, and with time around the Waterfall, known as the fountain of Diana. Palace the city of Caserta was born. There is also an English Garden, wanted by Maria The immense dwelling is made up of four courtyards Carolina of Austria. It is rich with rare and exotic plants, and thousands of rooms, chapels, museums and greenhouses, thickets and paths. There is a lovely pond with the statue of Venus and, typical of the Romantic style, theatres. In the 120 hectare park wide boulevards, fake ruins adorned with statues. fountains, waterfalls and numerous other contructions were created (a bus service is available The ‘Royal Site’ finds its completion in the nearby to help you visit it all). Stunned by the sumptuous village of San Leucio (famous for the production architecture, George Lucas chose the Royal Palace of high quality silk) with its elegant Casino Reale del as setting for some scenes in the Star Wars series. Belvedere (Royal Lodge), home to important cultural events. The Palace has 1,200 rooms, 34 stairways and 1,970 windows. The lower foyer opens into the entrance atrium, San Leucio is a suburb of Caserta where, in 1700’s from which you can admire the four courtyards with their on orders of Ferdinando IV, a silk factory was park views. From the honour stairway one goes to the installed. The village that grew around it had its own upper foyer and directly in front, the Palatina Chapel, statutes, with utopian (for its time) laws: the workers a rectangular hall with its barrel-vaulted caisson ceiling employed by the Royal Silk Factory and their families decorated with gilded rosettes and a semicircular apse. enjoyed equal rights, free obligatory education To the left of the chapel are the Royal Apartments, for the children, and a fraction of the revenue was pompously decorated with marble and paintings, and invested in a fund for the aid of the sick and the furnished with period pieces and precious objects. The Palatina Library occupies three rooms. A request elderly. of Maria Carolina, it had more than 10,000 volumes. The The silk production from San Leucio became known Royal Nativity scene has been reconstructed in one large all over Europe, and even today is prized the world hall. over. The Gallery of the Royal Palace of Caserta is divided into If San Leucio represented a corageous push towards various sections. The Picture-gallery contains portraits of a new model of industrial development, then the the kings and queens of the Bourbon family, both from Royal Site of Carditello was its imitator in the field Spain and France. One of the wings of the palace houses the so-called Opera of agricultural development, once again instituted by Museum, or the Vanvitellian Museum, with a collection Ferdinando IV. There was buffalo breeding, and a of drawings, sketches and plans of Vanvitelli’s masterpiece, dairy farm for the production of mozzarella. To as well as wooden models of the Royal Palace. In the facilitate the Sovereign on his visits, a small palace, second courtyard is the Little Court Theatre. Built in a agricultural buildings and a church were built in the Internal view horseshoe form, with five levels of boxes and a sumptuous mid 1700’s. This residence now houses the Southern of the Royal Palace of Caserta royal balcony, it is a true masterpiece of 1700’s theatrical Agricultural Museum. architecture. Belvedere Lodge at San Leucio 1700’s for the Carolinian acqueduct that feeds the waterfalls of the Park of the Royal Palace of Caserta. This masterpiece of bridges of the famous travellers Maddaloni Valley sequential arches is an imposing structure, made The Bridges of the even more monumental by One cannot disagree with the fact that it is a Maddaloni Valley are fruit of its architectural similairity the genius of Luigi to roman acqueducts. dwelling fit for the ancient masters of the world. Vanvitelli, and built in the Henry Swinburne, 1777 Generale_INGL 25-03-2008 13:28 Pagina 128 The village of Casertavecchia 128 129 A visit to Casertavecchia is unforgettable, one of the most evocative and well preserved medieval villages in Italy. Here, amid little stone paved streets, aristrocratic buildings and ancient churches, old traditions are still deeply felt. In the summer a festival of music, theatre and dance is held called “Settembre al Borgo”, or September in the Village.