Description of the attraction
Bosco di San Silvestro, together with the park, the English garden and the San Leucho belvedere, were once part of the royal estates adjacent to the Reggia di Caserta palace. This area was partly the hunting ground of the Bourbons, and partly on it was located agricultural land. Here was the royal court with olive groves, orchards and vegetable gardens, as well as the king's resting place after the hunt.
King Charles VII acquired Bosco di San Silvestro in the middle of the 18th century. Then the hunting grounds were walled, and in 1797, according to the design of the court architect Francesco Collecini, the Real Casino was built: this is a U-shaped building in the style of Roman villas facing south. A pretty garden was laid out in the spacious courtyard. The rooms on the first floor were dedicated to the processing of grapes, the production of wine, butter and cheese, and on the second floor, where a stone staircase led, there were living quarters. During the reign of Francis I, hanging gardens were built on the territory of the Real Casino, and the building itself was rebuilt.
In 1993, Bosco di San Silvestro, spread over an area of 76 hectares between the hills of Monte Mayulo and Monte Briano, was declared a protected area at the initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). And the following year, hiking trails were laid here, and the forest became another attraction of Caserta. The Pecoriera, a Bourbon sheepfold, has been converted into a 24-room inn with a kitchen and dining room. The old Casa del Arco has become an Eco-Friendly Home with solar panels and rainwater collection and recycling systems. In addition, there are several picnic areas on the territory of Bosco di San Silvestre. The forest itself is represented by stone oaks, olive groves and typical Mediterranean shrubs. On the lawns you can see wild mint and a variety of wild orchids. Nightingales, hoopoes and woodcocks live in the crowns of trees, and foxes, marmots, fallow deer and other animals roam the forest.
