At the end of the eighteenth century, Ferdinand IV of Bourbon founded the Royal Colony of San Leucio, a community of master silk weavers governed by its own statute, promulgated in 1789. What elsewhere was an art reserved for the courts became here the craft of an entire village, handed down from family to family. Since then, the name San Leucio has been synonymous with the most precious silks, a tradition preserved intact for over two centuries.
From these same looms came fabrics that, it is said, have adorned the Quirinal Palace, the Vatican, the White House and Buckingham Palace, prized by royal households and heads of state around the world.
The tour
Virada Experience accompanies its guests on a private visit that begins at the Belvedere di San Leucio, the former Bourbon hunting lodge and heart of the colony, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among eighteenth-century looms and machinery, royal apartments and terraced gardens, the story comes to life of an exquisitely refined craft and of one of the most original enlightened utopias in Europe.
The visit continues at a silk mill with a glorious history of silk production, where every fabric speaks of an artisan mastery handed down through generations.
At lunch, the table celebrates the most authentic cuisine of the Caserta area, land of buffalo mozzarella and native wines.
The splendour of the Bourbons
The day ends at the Royal Palace of Caserta, Luigi Vanvitelli’s masterpiece and one of the largest royal residences in the world. The Grand Staircase, the royal apartments and the monumental park, culminating in the Great Waterfall, tell of all the splendour of the court that created San Leucio.
An authentic and extraordinary experience, discovering one of Campania’s least-known treasures.
