San Leucio and the Belvedere: the silk colony

A colony with its own laws

San Leucio began as a Bourbon hunting lodge. In 1778 Ferdinand IV founded a silk works there and a small community of workers, and in 1789 he gave it its own code of laws: houses for families, schooling for the children, the same rules for men and women. San Leucio silks reached royal courts across much of Europe, and the area’s textile tradition carries on today.

What you see

At the Belvedere you visit the royal apartments and the rooms of the silk works, with their historic looms, and from the forecourt, as the name suggests, you look out over the plain of Caserta. Visits are always guided.

Tours and tickets

Address	Via del Setificio 5, San Leucio (Caserta)
Guided tours	9:30, 10:45, 12:00 and two afternoon tours
Full ticket	€7
Reduced ticket	€4

Times can change with the seasons, so check them on the Belvedere website before you go.

From Royal Palace B&B

San Leucio is on the hill a few kilometres from the centre of Caserta. It is only a few minutes by car, and from our private car park you set off without driving through any restricted traffic zones (ZTL). With the Royal Palace and the Carolino Aqueduct it completes the UNESCO site, and a morning is enough to see it properly.