Reggia di Caserta: the English garden

With its dazzling variety of villas and historic houses, l’ Italy is one of the most important European destinations for tourists interested in the gardens. The landscape and the design of the great gardens of historic houses have inspired gardeners for centuries, and today the Italian style is one of the definitive styles internationally recognized. In the map of particularly important gardens in Italy missed is the Royal Palace of Caserta, among the top tourist attractions in Italy declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Royal Park is inspired by the gardens of the great European residences of time, melting the Italian tradition of the Renaissance garden with the solutions introduced by André Le Nôtre in Versailles. Its wide surface is divided into two blocks: Italian garden and English garden.

The English Garden: features and curiosity

At the center of the rear facade of the building, the central main avenue begins with a series of fountains, swimming pool, Great waterfalls and the famous waterfall that is well connected to the English Garden. Born in 1785 Vanvitelli architect's project in collaboration with the German botanist John Andreas Graefer and at the behest of Queen Maria Carolina of Austria, the English Garden occupies an area of ​​about 23 hectares and is characterized by the presence of different species of plants from England, from America and Holland. Following the fashion of the landscape spread throughout Europe at that time, The English garden is also distinguished by a set of hills, clearings, lakes and canals fed by the aqueduct water Carolino.

For the type of plants that characterize the English was declared a Royal Botanical Gardens. It is divided into different areas, dedicate a 14 plant collections such as palms, cactus, hollies, holly into the ground, aquatic plants, querce, eucalipti, aceri, nights, bossi, coniferous, fruit trees and what should be the first plant Camellia (Camellia japonica) arrived in Europe and destined to the garden by the will of Maria Carolina.

The greenhouse Bourbon

In an isolated recess in the English Garden is the Serra Bourbon, an iron and glass structure designed to protect plants. This is an important testimony of the structures started appearing in the early nineteenth century in the major Italian gardens. The neoclassical facade is punctuated by a series of imposing Doric columns. The roof has been replaced with a glass and iron roof that enhances the brightness of the interior.

The Bath of Venus

Another evocative and rich in picturesque views of the English garden setting of the Royal Palace is the Bath of Venus, A magical and quiet place, Perfect for those who love the natural scenery of the past. So named for the presence of a marble statue of Carrara, The Bath of Venus depicts the goddess in the act of leaving the water of an artificial lake surrounded by fake rocks. Behind the work of Solari statue, a beautiful representation of an ancient temple in ruins, one cryptoportico, decorated by eleven statues brought from Pompeii and the Farnese collection. The floor is constituted by a gusset colored marbles. Numerous cracks and fractures open on time, letting an almost magical light that enchants any visitor.