Reggia di Caserta

About the museum

The Reggia di Caserta came about at the wish of Charles of Bourbon, who in 1751 bought the fief of Caserta to build a court residence worthy of the great European royal palaces. The foundation stone was laid on 20 January 1752, and the design was entrusted to the architect Luigi Vanvitelli, who conceived the palace and the park as a single perspective design. After Vanvitelli's death in 1773 the works continued under the direction of his son Carlo, and were completed only in 1845.

The palace has about 1,200 rooms and numerous staircases. Among the most celebrated spaces are the Cappella Palatina, consecrated in 1784, the Teatro di Corte, inaugurated in 1769, the Biblioteca Palatina, and the historic apartments decorated with stuccoes, frescoes and furnishings from the Bourbon and Napoleonic periods. The Presepe Reale (royal Nativity scene) is displayed in the Sala Ellittica.

The park covers about 120 hectares and extends for almost three kilometres along a perspective axis, with fountains, cascades and a long water channel that ends at the foot of Monte Briano. To this 18th-century part is added the English Garden, created at the end of the century with rare plants, small buildings and landscape paths. The complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, together with the Acquedotto Carolino and the San Leucio complex, and is today one of the most visited cultural sites in Italy.

Highlights

• Royal Apartments with the state and private rooms of the sovereigns
• Cappella Palatina and the 18th-century Teatro di Corte
• Monumental park with the Via d'Acqua and the great fountains
• English Garden with rare plants and small buildings
• Presepe Reale in the Sala Ellittica

Permanent exhibitions

• Appartamenti Reali – Route through the state and private rooms of the Bourbon residence, including the Cappella Palatina and the Presepe Reale.
• Parco Reale e Via d'Acqua – The great 18th-century park, with fountains and cascades, extending for almost three kilometres towards Monte Briano.
• Giardino Inglese – Landscape garden from the late 18th century, with rare plants, small buildings and paths.

Founded

1752

Operated by

Ministero della Cultura

Visitors per year

approx. 1,028,292 (2023)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Museum Sunday (“Domenica al museo”, first Sunday of the month) and other free-admission days; on these days the English Garden, the Sale Vanvitelli and Amelio, the Gran Galleria and the Teatro di Corte remain closed.

The full ticket, €18, includes the Royal Apartments, the Royal Park and the English Garden. Online purchase carries an advance sales fee of €1; the ticket does not allow leaving and re-entering. Free admission also for teachers, journalists, licensed EU tour guides, ICOM members and other categories provided for in the regulations.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Priority entrance for people with disabilities from Piazza Carlo di Borbone; a lift in the Palazzo Reale is reserved for visitors with disabilities. Assistance dogs are admitted.

Kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Children's audio guides in the Royal Apartments; free admission for under-18s; educational activities and school visits by reservation.

Getting there & parking

Entrances from Piazza Carlo di Borbone and from Corso Pietro Giannone.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Wi-Fi

Café, buvette, restaurant and bookshop; in the park, bicycle hire, shuttle and golf carts. Wi-Fi is listed among the site's services. Backpacks and bags larger than 40×30×10 cm must be left at the cloakroom.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit