At first glance the iconic Sydney Opera House the Palace of Caserta in the Campania Region of Italy don’t have that much in common. Granted that they are both striking examples of the architectural potentials of their times and both sit in magnificent locations that feature water as a key element - the Opera House on the foreshore of the dramatic Sydney Harbour and the Palace with its magnificent man-made cascade water feature.
What brings these two sites from different eras and different sides of the planet closer together is the dream of their funders, architects and builders to construct a memorable and significant building that captures the visions of their era.
Both buildings had challenging periods during their construction but the vision of their originators was eventually carried through and both have now been recognised as having a significance that makes them worthy of being inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage list.
They both have demonstrated "an outstanding universal significance" that goes beyond their original intention and local importance.
The City of Antigua Guatemala, with its Colonial buildings and Baroque churches, and the well known Archaeological Ruins of the Pompeii and Herculanum, with their uniquely frozen record of a Roman city of 2000 years ago, are other World Heritage sites which record important steps in the story of human architecture and their citizen’s visions.
These four places all have an importance that transcends time...
Geoff Steven
Director - Our Place World Heritage
Below: Relationship to water is a special feature of these two World Heritage sites
