In the silent and enchanted heart of the English Garden of the Royal Palace of Caserta, time starts moving again. The restoration work on the Ruined Temple and the Swan Shelter, two of the most fascinating and mysterious structures of the entire monumental complex, has officially begun. A delicate operation, entrusted to the expert hands of Fratelli Navarra srl, which will bring to light the hidden beauty of one of the most evocative places of the Green Museum.
In the lake known as “lake of water lilies” or “lake of swans”, these days wrapped in a veil of white flowers and light shadows, two small islands rise. On the larger one stands the Tempio Diruto — the “little temple” — built between 1793 and 1798 as a scenic ruin, a tribute to the neoclassical fashion of evoking the ancient through imaginary architecture. Corinthian capitals, broken columns, deliberate archaeological silences: a fake ruin that has become a symbol of decadent romanticism.
On the other side of the small lake is the Casa dei Cigni, a 19th-century pavilion with a hemispherical dome, once a refuge for the majestic birds that populated the garden. While the temple will undergo conservative restoration to preserve its original identity, the Casa will undergo extraordinary maintenance to come back to life after years of discreet abandonment.
The big news is that the works will be carried out in an open construction site. Visitors to the Park will be able to witness the restoration phases up close and the Management of the Reggia is evaluating, with the support of technicians and restorers, the possibility of allowing small groups to access the islet via a floating platform that will cross the waters of the lake. A gesture that combines transparency, education and dream, in perfect balance between nature, history and beauty.
Article published on 10 June 2025 - 11:55
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