Explore the Royal Palace 
The Courtyards
Between Renaissance inspirations and compositional innovations
Along with the perspective Cannocchiale, the four internal courtyards of the Royal Palace of Caserta are one Luigi Vanvitelli’s most original inventions.Usually, during Renaissance, the courtyard was the architectural and functional centre of the building.
Vanvitelli revolutionized the Renaissance model by multiplying the courtyards, which lost their centrality to give way to the evocative gallery.
The courtyards were usually crossed by court staff, who could access them directly from the side entrances of the Royal Palace: the efficiency of the service circulation was thus guaranteed.Through the arches of the Lower Vestibule, it is possible to have a simultaneous view of these monumental squares.Vanvitelli’s original idea was to use different decorations for each courtyard, in order to create the illusion of being between four different buildings. King Charles, however, arranged for the courtyards to be made all the same, believing that beauty lies in symmetry.
Palazzo Reale
