Montedi di Procida on Lake Fusaro Print

In around 1752 the then thinly inhabited area of Fusaro in the province of Naples, became the hunting and fishing reserve of the Bourbons. King Ferdinand IV introduced the cultivation of mussels and oysters and in 1782 he commissioned the architect Carlo Vanvitelli to build a hunting and fishing lodge on the eastern shore of the lake. The building became one of the finest and unique examples of late baroque architecture. The polygonal pavilion, which is surrounded by the waters of Lake Fusaro, was built on two levels with protruding and terraced bodies on two floors. The Lodge, known as Casina Vanvitelliana, was used as the residence of illustrious guests, such as Francis II of Habsburg-Lorraine who stayed here in May 1819. The building played host to many royals and presidents, including the Czar of Russia as well as the composers Rossini and Mozart.