The Royal Palace of Carditello is reborn to new life
The project in brief
The story of the project
The start of works to restore the Royal Palace of Carditello, in San Tammaro (in the Italian province of Caserta) was announced on 10 February 2023. These works will focus on the parterre and other outdoor structures, including the pavilion, the watering trough, the steps of the Ferdinand IV Hippodrome, the columns of the entrance gate and, above all, the tufa stone ditch built around the horse training grounds by the House of Bourbon–Two Sicilies.
The works are being financed within the scope of cohesion policy and a project valued at EUR 5 million that is being financed by the ERDF National Operational Program CULTURE & TOURISM, aimed at completing the restoration and development of this site of natural, cultural, and historical value, which has required a total investment of roughly EUR 15 million.
Redevelopment of the Royal Palace of Carditello — originally commissioned by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and erected circa 1787 by Francesco Collecini, a collaborator of Luigi Vanvitelli — began in 2004 after decades of neglect. In that year, in order to put a stop to a decline that had begun around the 1920s, a ministerial “restriction” was handed down, at first applicable solely to the building itself and subsequently extended to the surrounding grounds. This then led to a rapid process of restoration and development of the area, driven by the enthusiasm of civic action and the commitment of Italy’s Ministry of Culture, which acquired the property on 8 January 2014.
The neoclassical Royal Palace includes areas intended for farming and agriculture, as well as five courtyards and an area for horse racing in the form of an ancient Roman circus. To this day, it is the world’s largest hippodrome located within the perimeter of a building. The estate was erected in order to breed royal thoroughbreds, as well as for farming and dairy production, having served as the site of operations of Reale Industria della Pagliara delle Bufale, an important dairy consortium of the time that produced dairy products from buffalo milk.
Today, the Royal Palace of Carditello Foundation is responsible for managing the estate. The foundation was established on 25 February 2016 by the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Region Campania, and the Town of San Tammaro to promote the conservation, restoration and development of the Royal Palace of Carditello and surrounding estate.
In addition to the current works, a number of actions to protect and develop the estate within the scope of cohesion policies in years past have concerned architectural restoration and refurbishment, whereas more recently, with the support, in part, of Cultura Crea, development has been financed with regard to accessibility and innovative uses of the estate.