Diana and Actaeon fountain and waterfall

Viale Giulio Douhet, 2, 81100 Caserta CE, Italia
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Distance

Duration

Duration

Type

Fontane, Piazze e Ponti

Hosted in

Inglese

Description

At the end of the park dominated by the Great Waterfall (it is 82m high), there is a large water basin adorned with the famous group of Diana and Actaeon, sculpted by Paolo Persico, Pietro Solari and Angelo Brunelli. On one side is Diana, the goddess of hunting and of the woods (it is no coincidence that the area behind is that of the Bosco di San Silvestro), surrounded by nymphs ready to dive into the water, on the other side is Actaeon, who having dared to look at Diana in her nudity, and in revenge she transforms him into a deer that later will be mauled by his own dogs. Among the sculptural groups roars loudly the great waterfall, as a symbol of life and purification. The cult of Diana was very popular in the area of Caserta, rich in forests and wild animals. To her, in fact, with the name of Tifatina, there was dedicated a temple on whose ruins was built the basilica of Sant'Angelo in Formis.