Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and St Leucio complex - Caserta - Italy | PRIMA.TV - On-line International TV | Mobile

Aqueduct of Vanvitelli From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search 18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the San Leucio Complex* UNESCO World Heritage Site Vanvitelli aqueduct.jpg State Party Italy Type Cultural Criteria i, ii, iii, iv Reference 549 Region** Europe and North America Inscription history Inscription 1997 (21st Session) * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. The Aqueduct of Vanvitelli or Caroline Aqueduct is an aqueduct built to supply the Reggia di Caserta and the San Leucio complex, supplied by water arising at the foot of Taburno, from the springs of the Fizzo, in the territory of Bucciano (BN), which it carries along a winding 38 km route (mostly underground). Commissioned by Charles of Bourbon and designed by Luigi Vanvitelli (after whom it derives its two names), its construction began in March 1753 and concluded with its opening on 7 May 1762. Of particular architectural value is the perfectly-preserved 529m long section in tufa bridging the Valle di Maddaloni between monte Logano (to the east) and monte Garzano (to the west) - this section was made a World Heritage Site in 1997 and (modelled on ancient Roman acqueducts) is made of three rows of arches, 55.8m high at its highest point. [edit] San Leucio From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search 18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the San Leucio Complex* UNESCO World Heritage Site San leucio.jpg State Party Italy Type Cultural Criteria i, ii, iii, iv Reference 549 Region** Europe and North America Inscription history Inscription 1997 (21st Session) * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. San Leucio is a frazione of the comune of Caserta, in the region of Campania in southern Italy. It is most notable for a resort developed around an old silk factory, included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list in 1997. It is located 3.5 km northwest of Caserta, at 145 m above sea level. Contents [hide] * 1 History * 2 Today * 3 Bibliography * 4 External links [edit] History In 1750 Charles VII of Naples, advised by minister Bernardo Tanucci, selected this place, originally the site of a royal hunting lodge for the Acquaviva family (now restored, and known as Palazzo del Belvedere), for an unusual social and tecnological experiment, a different model of production based on technical innovation and alert to the needs of workers. In its early days, San Leucio resort was a place for pleasure and a royal hunting preserve, built on the ruins of Saint Leucio church, where an aqueduct carried water to the waterfalls of the Royal Caserta Palace, designed by Vanvitelli. The son of Charles, Ferdinand I, had a hunting lodge built for himself on this site. He was a very skillful hunter who disliked the pleasures and luxury of court life. It was here that Charles and the young king Ferdinand built a silk factory. The complex was transformed into a silk production site and industrial buildings were added, which was quite unique in late 18th-century Europe. Architect Francesco Collecini designed these industrial buildings, where noisy looms were installed next to royal apartments and a sitting room became a chapel for the workers. A new village was built for workers' residences, and a large community of silk weavers grew into this industrial town, which in 1789 was deemed the "Real Colonia dei Setaioli" (the Silk Weavers Royal Colony). The king had planned to expand it into a true new city, called Ferdinandopoli, but the project was halted by the French invasion. In San Leucio the most advanced technologies known in Europe at the time were used throughout the process to obtain the finished products. The members of the colony had a privileged status with a modern social security system. The revolution of 1799 stopped the complete realization of the Ferdinandopoli, but San Leucio resort had further growth during the French rule from 1806 to 1815.