Near Naples it is possible to find a place where time seems to have been stopped. This place is San Tammaro, in Caserta, and the Royal Palace there is one of the symbols of the Bourbonic reign,  not so commonly known.

Carditello's Park


History of the ‘Real Sito’ of Carditello

The 'Real Sito' of Carditello is one of the 22 Bourbon's royal palaces set there as a place of leisure, where the king Ferdinand IV and his family could dedicate themselves in activities such as hunting. But it also was like a big farm where wheat was cultivated and horses grew up, in a big land made of woods, and ranges.

Royal Palace of Carditello's stairs


The structure of Royal Palace of Carditello

The structure of the 'Real Sito' was planned and designed by Francesco Collecini, a Luigi Vanvitelli's apprentice and collaborator. The front-end area was firstly destined to be a racetrack for horses. Then, it turned to be decorated with fountains, obelisks and with a small classical circle-shaped temple.

The insides of Royal Palace of Carditello


The ‘Real Sito’ today

In 1920 all the lands around the Palace were sold and all the real estate to the state property administration, which later gave everytihng to the Fighters National Opera (an helpful corporation that arose during the First World War).  Then, in 1943 was occupied by the German and American troops. But it is only in 2011 that it was sold to MiBACT by Santa Maria Capua Vetere's tribunal, at the price of 10 million Euros. Finally, on January 8th 2017 it has been opened to public once again.

Paintings in Royal Palace of Carditello


Facts about Royal Palace of Carditello

Where does Carditello take its name? The name Carditello comes from the latin "carduetum", which stands for a place planted with cardoons. It is not a surprise, in fact, that the current land in ancient times was surrounded by a lot of these plants to form a kind of fence for those who wanted to pass through it riding a horse.