Views of the Palazzo Reale and gardens of Caserta, from L. Vanvitelli, "Dichiarazione dei Disegni del Real Palazzo di Caserta," Naples 1756, plate XIII

The predominant characteristic of the Palazzo Reale and its park at Caserta is unity, with the natural and the artificial working together and inseparably in a scheme that is as ambitious as it is vast. Its Neapolitan architect, Luigi Vanvitelli, who began his great masterpiece in 1752, was an educated man but far from erudite. His great strength lay in his practicality and his wide range...