Casina Vanvitellania, Lago Fusaro, Naples. December 2018
The benefits of wandering
I finished visiting the Baths of Baiae west of Naples and wandered further westward toward Fusaro for the train back to Naples. It had been a long day of touristing and I was tired. In the Campania countryside without much signage I got lost until I stumbled upon a group of young people outside on a work break. I asked them which way to the station and they pointed me down the right road. After 15 minutes I came to a park with a glint of water behind the trees. I walked onward to find a large lagoon with this little mansion "floating" on the water, the Casina Vanvitellania. As I waited for the train, I enjoyed the park, took photos, and relaxed from a lot of walking. I felt so fortunate to find this lake and little palace awash in the late afternoon, winter sun. Finally, I caught the train back to Naples. After aperitivo, in the hotel room, I checked the web - what was that place with the little floating palace?
Lago Fusaro is actually a lagoon and has some very unique flora and fauna for starters. If that is not enough, it lies just south of Cumae, the first ancient Greek colony on the mainland of Italy, founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BC (Wikipedia). I regretted not knowing about Cumae earlier, otherwise I would have included it the trip. "Wandering" cuts both ways - there are both surprises and missed opportunities. So anyway, Lago Fusaro was an ancient place predating the Romans and naturally beautiful to boot - a good find. I read on.
What of the "casina"? It is part of convoluted European history. Italy is a new country. Even the United States is older than the Republic of Italy. The casina dates from the Kingdom of Naples which at one point was ruled by the Bourbons of France (all those "Louis" kings). The Bourbons won Naples and Sicily in a war with Spain who had ruled them for two centuries. During that time, the whole region fell into benign neglect. The Bourbons came on the scene with a fresh injection of cash for infrastructure. The casina was built as a royal hunting lodge on the lagoon which then became the private hunting and fishing grounds of the Bourbons. I am sure the locals were thrilled to be informed their traditional hunting and fishing places were suddenly on private property!
The most remarkable aspect of the building was its appearance of "floating" on the lagoon. Built on a series of piles, it was connected to the mainland by a pier-like bridge. From Atlas Obscura:
Completed in 1782, the hunting lodge is composed of three intersecting octagons and almost looks like a pagoda. It was built on a preexisting islet that formerly housed an old building used as a storage room for fishing equipment. The Casina, or “cottage” is connected to the mainland by a wooden pier. A small garden stands across the bridge with various flower beds and a rich vegetation.
The name Vanvitellania pays respect to Luigi Vanvitelli, architect of Caserta Palace outside of Naples. The casina hosted nobles , statesmen, and artists over the years including Rossini and perhaps even Mozart.
Humorously, the casina is often misidentified as the "House of the Blue Fairy" from an Italian film adaptation of Pinocchio in 1972. Apparently, that house is outside of Rome on Lago Martignano, but bears a striking resemblance to the casina. I am not sure which is more appealing - watching a 1972 version of Pinocchio in Italian or visiting Lago Martignano outside of Rome. Reading articles surrounding places I've visited can lead down some strange rabbit holes.
Do read history before taking a trip, not a guide book. The things stumbled upon will mean so much more. I learn more after every trip than before even though the reverse makes more sense to understand what I am actually seeing in the moment. Then again, too much preparation leads to..... expectations. {See: Burj Khalifa}