Built between 1777 and 1780 as a viceregal residence for Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, Giuseppe Piermarini's vast Villa Reale was modelled on Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace. It served as the summer home for Italian royalty, but was abandoned following the murder of Umberto I. Two years of restoration have now revived its 3500-sq-metre frescoed, stuccoed and gilded interior for use as an exhibition and events centre.
