Royal Palace of Caserta, work has begun to remove the attic of the Hall of Glory

The aim is to restore the original spaces on the second floor of the Royal Palace.

With a complex intervention, the Reggia of Caserta intends to restore dignity to the historical environments altered during the twentieth century. The symbolic start of the works was initiated with the use of the demolition pliers by the director of the Museum, Tiziana Maffei.

This involves the demolition of the intermediate floor built in the 30s and 40s to increase the usable surface area on the second floor, which reduced the heights of the reception rooms of the Queen's Apartment, such as the Throne Room and the Grand Gallery, from approximately 16,5 metres to 8 metres through the insertion of attics.

In 2022, a collapse in the false ceiling of the Hall of Glory, at the end of the Fragments of Paradise exhibition, required the installation of props and a reconnaissance of the upper areas, where dangerous depressions were discovered.

This event has led the Air Force to free up two areas of the school on the site and to prepare the first investigations for a renovation project. With the work begun today, the vault of the Hall of Glory, until now hidden, will return to its original configuration designed by Luigi Vanvitelli.

This is the first intervention of its kind in the Royal Palace, which until recently was partly intended for use by various bodies and institutions. The operation is part of the safety plan financed in 2022 by the General Budget Directorate and the ordinary funds of the Royal Palace.

The choice of demolition is motivated by safety reasons and a cost-benefit assessment, with the aim of restoring the hall to its original full-height volumes. The floor to be removed covers approximately 340 square meters and is supported by five reinforced concrete beams, each with an average weight of 1600 kg per linear meter, anchored directly into the original tuff walls of the Palazzo.

The construction site required a long preparation phase, during which an imposing scaffolding was erected to support the beams and ensure safety during the demolition phases. After eliminating the partitions built on the upper floor for use by the Air Force, demolition of the attic began. Once this work is completed, the room will be finished to return to Vanvitelli's designs.

“This construction site represents a fundamental step towards recovering Vanvitelli's legacy,” says Tiziana Maffei, director of the Palace of Caserta. “The Vanvitellian Complex has often undergone transformations imposed by the needs of the moment, neglecting the symbolic value and architectural quality of the place.

We hope to definitively overcome these pragmatic choices of the past, restoring to the Palace its function of unique inspiration of human ingenuity and vision.