Palace of Caserta

The Palace of Caserta is a palace in Italy. It is near Naples. The palace was built by King Carlo VII of Naples. It was one of the largest buildings built in Italy in the 8th century. It was mainly used as a summer home of the royal family of the Two Sicilies. In Italian, it is known as the Reggia di Caserta. The palace has about 1,200 rooms. These include two dozen state apartments and a large theatre modelled after the Teatro San Carlo of Naples. It is often compared to the Palace of Versailles and is called the "Italian Versailles". In 1997, the palace was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The nomination said it was "the swan song of the spectacular art of the Baroque, from which it adopted all the features needed to create the illusions of multidirectional space". The king wanted a magnificent new royal court and administrative center for the Kingdom in a place protected from sea attack. The palace was used during the filming of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace References