In 1734 the eighteen-year-old Charles of Bourbon (1716-1788) came to the throne of Naples, a kingdom that had returned to independence after more than 200 years. Son of Elisabetta Farnese and Filippo V, the sovereign bears the sign of an enlightened culture that will allow him to initiate important renewal actions. In the 1740s the king began to imagine a visionary project unprecedented in the area. King Charles' dream took shape in 1750, with the purchase of the fiefdom of Caserta for the sum of 489,348.13 ducats. The idea of ​​building a new capital in the hinterland, not far from Naples, came to life thanks to the projects of the architect Luigi Vanvitelli (1700-1773). On 20 January 1752, in Caserta, the king laid the first stone of the construction site that would change the fate of the entire area: the Royal Palace of Caserta

Charles of Bourbon's vision changed the fate of the territory forever. The fulcrum of his project, the Royal Palace of Caserta, is today one of the largest royal residences in the world, a World Heritage Site since 1997 together with the Carolino Aqueduct and the San Leucio Belvedere. It includes the Royal Palace, the Royal Park, the English Garden, the San Silvestro Wood and the Carolino Aqueduct. With its 1,742 windows, 123 hectares of Royal Park, 3 km of Via d'Acqua and over 200 botanical species in the English Garden, the complex is still today a development engine for the area, a promoter of the dissemination of culture and a symbol of beauty in the world

The Royal Palace of Caserta is part of World Heritage Journeys, the project developed by UNESCO in collaboration with National Geographic, funded by the European Union. World Heritage Journeys is the enhancement plan that aims to rediscover the cultural sites of the European Union, some of which are lesser known, to promote sustainable tourism.