Italian film at the Royal Palace of Caserta

Used as Queen Armidala's palace in the Star Wars series and the scene of a Lamborghini explosion in the Mission Impossible film, the Royal Palace of Caserta, Reggia di Caserta, is a fantasy location in modern reality.

Just to the north of Naples, in the town of the same name, Caserta, the Reggia is the largest palace of its time, set back from the coast to protect the court from possible sea raids. Replete with a vast, landscaped park and the Vanvitelli aqueduct and fountains, the palace would be impossible to build in current circumstances, except as a Hollywood set.

In the 18th century it took just under 30 years to construct but ended up being used by the son of its original king and finished off by the son of its original creative designer. Built to rival the palaces of Versailles and Madrid, the Reggia is a monument to Enlightenment ideas while at the same time it was used as a seat of royal power.

It is unique for its scope, with some 1,200 rooms, two dozen state apartments and a theatre, as well as its integration into the natural environment, including an early example of English Capability Brown-style gardens on the Continent.

Now, getting lost amidst the fantastic grounds, strolling through the royal rooms and gasping aloud at the wonder of the fountains, an excursion to the palace of Caserta is like becoming an actor on a real life film set.