Palace of Portici, Royal palace in Portici, Italy.
The Palace of Portici rises through three floors around a central quadrangle courtyard with two parks offering views toward the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. The facade follows baroque lines with symmetrical wings punctuated by balconies and wrought iron railings.
Charles III commissioned Giovanni Antonio Medrano and Antonio Canevari to build the residence in 1738, completing it four years later. The Bourbons later used the building as a summer retreat until it passed to the university following Italian unification.
The halls display paintings by Giuseppe Bonito alongside marble sculptures Joseph Canart created. Gilded elements and ornate ceilings shape the interiors, echoing the style from the reign of Louis XIV.
Access runs from the main entrance on the north side, from which stairs lead to the upper floors. The botanical gardens remain open during teaching periods and offer paths between historic beds and greenhouses.
Workers found a complete Roman temple with twenty four marble columns beneath the construction site during foundation work. This discovery led to the first systematic excavation at Herculaneum, located just a few meters away.
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