Association of EuropeanRoyal Residences

A Palace without a king

 When the Palace was constructed in 1600, Naples had no King. Since 1503, in fact, the city and the rest of the kingdom of which it was the splendid capital had lost its independence to the Spanish forces led by the condottiero Consalvo de Cordova, known as El Gran Capitan. For two centuries the Kingdom of Naples became an Iberian colony under the dominion of the ruling houses of Spain, first the Hapsburgs then the Bourbons. The viceregal government of Naples was given in turn, for periods of varying length, to trusted men of the court chosen from the Spanish aristocracy.

In 1600, the viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, Count of Lemos, arranged the construction of the Royal Palace to mark the planned visit of King Philip III of Spain, a visit that subsequently never took place.

Around 1630, after lengthy works, the palace became the permanent residence of the viceroy.

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The Palace

Its foundation stone was laid on 20 January 1752 in an official ceremony celebrating the 36th birthday of King Charles. Vanvitelli had presented his project the previous year, on 2 May 1751. Charles and Maria Amalia were so enthusiast that the architect wrote his brother that reality had overcome his best expectations.

However, the fastness imposed by the King was a clear sign of the importance and appreciation he gave to that work.
The Palace had been designed as a huge building with twin facades, one looking on to the parade ground, the other to the gardens. The central dome and the statue of Charles on the gable in the middle of the facade were present in the original design but were never realised.
For the first time, the central stairway leading to the royal apartments (at whose entrance we now find the Public Administration High School), was put at the centre of a building.

In total, the Palace has 1200 rooms! The gardens were completed after the King left the kingdom, and in 1762 the water from Maddaloni reached the Palace through the Caroline aqueduct.