spatial articulation 1/3

one of the most delightful vanvitellian innovations is the use of galleries and vestibules aligned to the axis of the building, and the aesthetic and practical purpose given to them, intrinsically connected to the development of the main design.the internal circulatory system is perfectly achieved with radial passages which connect the vestibules to the courtyards and with the entrance halls which in turn link the courtyards with each other and the exterior; a balanced network of passages and squares which facilitate the performance of parades, balls, processions, and banquets, without confusion, blockages or accidents.

spatial articulation 2/3

the vestibules are peristyle octagonals, capped by column-supported vaults. the central one is very wide and bright. 
on the right is the royal stairway; on the left, the statue of hercules balanced on a plinth. opposite, against the green background of the hills, the waterfall glints in the sunlight "that crystalline obelisk, upright upon its fantastic base consituted by the white ribbons of the avenues" (g.chierici, la reggia di caserta, 1930). the courtyards, as wide as squares, are seen through the arches of the gallery. they also have a function in accordance with the canon of vanvitellian architecture. in the royal palace of caserta, the place of the courtyard is taken by the axial gallery, offering a deepened perspective, where the four courtyards are sources of light, places of transit or for lingering; factors necessary in the playing out of life at court. they permit the ingress of the roads into the building, making them places no longer closed in on themselves.

spatial articulation 3/3

the entire complex suggess the idea of order and symmetry, a sort of "state classicism", as charles had in fact intended. but it also conveys strong integration between central power and the state administration, between the court and its subjects. this relationship between the building and the park, created by means of the gallery-telescope and constituting an integral part of the fabrication, appears clear and rigorous: against the emerald background of the lawns, the white avenues stand out. the mass of trees, open in the middle, show the expanse of water in the distance, modelling itself to the contours of the land. in this sober, austere tableau, the spirited architecture of the palace appears in all its monumenal worth, in which space, colours shapes and surfaces unite in unmatched unity of expression.