Italy 5 Casserta /Swansong of the Baroque -

---

Caserta was one of those place always on your tick list that you never manage to get to. You go past it but never have time to stop or you are on the way to somewhere else. However before going on holiday having watched Monty Dons Gardens of Italy we decided that the box this year had to be ticked. As we were passing on our way further south to Amalfi and again on our way home to Rome it seemed the ideal opportunity to stop off and enjoy what was described as the Versailles of Italy. Built in the 18th Century it looked a cross between Versailles, Buckingham Palace and Chatsworth and had impressive gardens mainly set out in the parkland style. The gardens comprised of 2 miles of formal avenues, fountains, cascades, bedding and waterfalls all of which were engineered at great expense in order to bring in the water from the nearby landscape. Parking for the palace was advised by the Rough Guide to be underground just to the front of the palace however we failed to find this until we were on our way out. Instead we parked on a sleepy back street car park manned by four guys who crammed in as many cars as they possibly could. The palace itself boasted of being the largest palace and the largest building to be erected in Europe in the 18th century and the jumble of courtyards leading to rooms inside was a testament to that claim. Brick, stone and marble made a pleasant ensemble showing the wealth that had been available to the Bourbon kings of Naples. Stylish rooms with gilt and beautifully decorated ceilings completed the picture although as is usual with French and Italian palaces there were little furniture or fittings inside.

The garden walk started outside the back of the palace and in the distance one could see the waterfall in the hillside that one needed to head for. Stopping points along the way provided excellent views of the palace receeding into the distance and the waterfall appearing ever closer. For the less able buses were provided to carry passengers the 2 miles from the palace to the waterfall, for the romantic horse drawn carriages and for the super fit bikes. The first stopping point was a formal bedding area full of annual bedding plants, steps led up to an artificial fountain and lake. Beyond that and up more steps were canals climbing up the hillside until eventually we reached the furthest point of the park and the waterfall. An ideal spot to sit with an ice cream watching the world go by and contemplating the walk back to the palace.

---