Reggia di Caserta

The royal palace of Caserta is Italy's Versailles, a baroque residence on an impossibly grand scale. It was built for the Bourbon kings of Naples. It was intended to do just what Versailles did, assembling the court, the nobility, and the government in a single building where the king could keep watch on them.

Construction began in 1752. The chief architect was Luigi Vanvitelli, but he was assisted by a whole company of designers, sculptors, painters, and more.

It is said to be the largest palace in the world, with 1,200 rooms and an interior volume of 40 million cubic feet. It is certainly plenty big.

The array of decorated walls and ceilings is astonishing. And the scary thing is, it was never finished. They intended to do even more before the money and royal will were exhausted.

The theater.

The park is on an even grander scale, covering 300 acres (120 ha).

Fountains and statues abound.

The palace even has its own aqueduct. In 1945 this became the Supreme HQ of the allied occupation, and the surrender of the German soldiers still in Italy was held here. The Italians proved very adept at manipulating their American occupiers, lending them fabulous palaces and then ignoring them.

Anybody know what this is? A cradle?