Virtual restoration

Bring back in time the Royal Palace of Caserta



The Throne Hall before and after

In this page you can see a vitual restoration made with digital technique. This is to bring the Royal Palace to its previous conditions, before it was stripped after the Unification of Italy, and the before to be damaged during the 1943 anglo-american bombing and the subsequent US occupation.

Below some examples:

A damaged furniture

mobile-murat-reggia-di-caserta-watThe cabinet today

mobile-murat-originaleThe cabinet before the war

mobile-murat-restaurato-reggia-di-caserta-watVirtual restoration

This furniture belonged to Joachim Murat was damaged by American troops during the occupation of the Palace in1943. The photo published in 1937 proves that six years before it was intact. Note the two daisies in the bottom corners of the central square: they are not original but were added later, and probably come from another piece of furniture. The virtual restoration, although obviously not perfect, allows us to see how it looked before the damages.

Missing furnishings

montecitorio13These furnitures today are located in a state palace in Rome.

sala-autunno-fotomontaggioVirtual reconstruction of their likely original position

montecitorio-sala-gialla-casertaA better pitcure of some of these furnitures

To these rococo rooms belonged also the golden living room today in the Yellow Room of the Montecitorio Palace in Rome. In the second picture there is virtual restoration of the dining room of the King: note the shape of the center of the floor, and the shape of the tabletop. In the third picture you can see also a gold and white console the same as those present today in the Hall of Spring.

The Throne Room

sala-trono-reggia-di-caserta-senza-lampadari-fotomontaggioThe throne room as it is today

sala-trono-reggia-di-caserta-lampadari-fotomontaggio1Virtual reconstruction with the missing ten chandeliers 

lampadario-impero-caserta-watThe missing chandeliers were similar to this.

The Throne Room with the ten Empire style chandeliers. These chandeliers were removed during the Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946), but Ettore Martucci, in his book "Caserta: Royal City" published in 1928 already declared them missing, but with a mistake: he reported the presence of six chandeliers, but the hooks in the ceiling proves that they were ten.


restauro-arazzi-5-reggia-di-caserta-quirinaleThe tapestries at the Napoleonic Living Room into the Quirinale palace

arazzo-caserta-capodimonteThe Gobelin tapestry today in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples

restauro-arazzi-4-reggia-di-caserta-watVirtual reconstruction

As demonstrated by the Historical Archives, many objects are missing from the Palace, including numerous tapestries, some of which made by the Gobelins manufactory (some for Louis XV of France) and others made in Naples at the Royal Manufactory. These tapestries today some are located at the Reggia di Capodimonte in Naples, while the majority are at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, precisely in the "Hall of cuirassiers", in the "First boardroom" and "Napoleonic sitting ". They were taken during the Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946).

The Palatine Chapel

cappella-caserta-bombardamento-prima-dopo-restauroThe Chapel as it appears today

One of the two surviving chandeliers

cappella-primaThe Chapel before the bombing

The Palatine Chapel was bombed during the WWII by the Americans damaging the ceiling, columns and walls, destroying priceless works such as vestments, the two bodies set high on the sides of the altar (where now you see tents), seven of the eight paintings in the chapel and most of the chandeliers. The central chandelier stands today in the Royal Apartments in the Chapel of Pius IX.


Scene from the movie "The three eaglets" of 1942

In this movie shot a year before the bombing, you can still see all thatthings that have been destroyed.

The sundial of the Park

meridiana-parco-primaLa Meridiana della Fontana Margherita come appare oggi

meridiana-parco-dopoRestauro virtuale

The sundial of the Margherita Fountain was damaged by the weather and by vandals.