Caserta Palace

Today we finally had a chance to do a little bit of exploring, our first day trip since early January!  We chose to see the palace in Caserta, about a 45-minute drive from our house.  Apparently everyone agrees: as far as splendor, size, beauty, etc., this is second only to the palace of Versailles as far as European palaces go!  We interested the boys by telling them that a scene from Episode 1 of Star Wars was filmed there...although we didn't actually get to see the location, heh!

Only one wing is available for public viewing, but it was huge enough that we felt more than satisfied with our tour.  Honestly, I can't imagine walking the entire thing, LOL.  It was amazing to see room after palatial room, all with different styles of paintings and decor.  The paintings, particularly on the ceilings, were mostly Baroque/Renaissance style, but some of the portraits especially would have been modern at the time--straight from the pages of our history books!

It was chilly outside, and parts of the palace were quite breezy, also.  We opted to skip touring the gardens this time and come back when it's warmer so we can maybe ride bikes to see the famous waterfall and fountains.  It's definitely a place we would enjoy seeing again!

Lucan and Kenna by a coronation statue

The Royal Staircase

Outside the front entrance; somehow our camera didn't save the wide, sweeping shot Ted took of the whole thing. :-(

Ceiling detail

Rawr!  I think this is my favorite pic from the day.

The palace chapel

Baby cradle!