The house of kings
A small but elegant place of enchantment, the Real Casino Borbonico del Lago Fusaro (Royal Bourbonic Casino of Fusaro Lake), also known as Casina Vanvitelliana, is one of the most evocative historical residences of the Bourbons of Naples.
History
Formerly identified with Acherusia palus, the mythological infernal swamp of the Acheronte river, the area of Lake Fusaro became a hunting and fishing reserve for the Bourbon royal family from 1752. The reigning monarchs entrusted Luigi Vanvitelli with the first redevelopment and transformation of the site, later completed by his son Carlo, who in 1782 built a refined and sumptuous hunting lodge not far from the lake shore.
Over the years, the building has been used to host illustrious figures, including Emperor Francesco II d'Asburgo-Lorena, the composer Gioachino Rossini and, more recently, the President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi.
Heritage
The Casina del Fusaro is one of 22 royal residences that the Bourbons built, bought or adapted during their rule in Campania, which lasted from 1734 to 1861.
A fine example of 18th-century architecture, the building has a very articulated plan, with three octagonal bodies intersecting one at the top of the other, then narrowing into a sort of pagoda enriched by large windows on two levels. The building is also connected to the lake shore by a long wooden pier.
