October 2020 Caserta Reggia di Caserta

On Saturday morning we go to visit the Reggia di Caserta, 

the royal palace built in the 18th century by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as kings of Naples. In 1997, the Baroque palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is the largest royal residence in the world. After much debate we discovered a Covid-19 special offer. With a Restart season ticket which costs €17 we can go to visit the Palace and gardens as often as we want until the end of the year. Since the normal ticket costs €15 in practice we can take our time visiting over the three days we'll be staying in Caserta.
So Saturday morning we have a quick look at the Royal Park area nearest the palace and then go to visit the Royal Apartments. Spectacular. 

Grand. Golden. Enormous. Each of the many rooms has something to marvel at, starting from the grandiose staircase 

and Cappella Palatina, 

the various rooms especially of course the throne room, 

the Palatina library. There are splendid details everywhere. From bizarre clocks,

to silk wallpaper.

We come out after an hour and a half unable to take any more in. Fortunately it's only about a 25 minute walk back to the apartment and after lunch and a rest we go back, we have another look at part of the park, with the fountains 

statues almost submerged in the vegetation

monumental trees

and of course the spectacular view looking back towards the palace. 

and up towards the end of the fountains.

We walk as far as the Eolo fountain and since it's getting late and in October the Park closes at 5.30 we go back to have another look inside the palace hoping for, if not a night time visit, at least a little illumination. Instead, lighting is scarce and the same as during the day. It doesn't matter, it's very atmospheric wandering around in the twilight now most visitors have left  and we have a better look at the paintings towards the end which we had been too overwhelmed to observe before.

It's getting properly dark as we walk back to the flat and we have the optimistic idea of ordering a proper pizza through Just Eat to save us queuing somewhere to get it. Not a good idea on a Saturday night in Caserta. We order at 7.30 and after two infuriated telephone calls the calzone fritto and Pizza marinara finally get delivered at past 9.30 by which time I'm contemplating eating the furniture. Nevertheless, it's actually very, very, very good piping hot, my bad mood passes as I munch and amazingly we digest such unusual food so late at night perfectly and sleep like a log.