  We present an integral field study of the internal structure, kinematics and
stellar population of the almost edge-on, intermediate luminosity ($L_ {*}$)
elliptical galaxy NGC 4697. We build extended 2-dimensional (2D) maps of the
stellar kinematics and line-strengths of the galaxy up to $\sim 0.7 $ effective
radii (R$_{eff}$) using a mosaic of 8 VIMOS (VIsible Multi-Objects Spectrograph
on the VLT) integral-field unit pointings. We find clear evidence for a
rotation-supported structure along the major axis from the 2D kinematical maps,
confirming the previous classification of this system as a `fast-rotator'. We
study the correlations between the third and fourth Gauss-Hermite moments of
the line-of-sight velocity distribution (LOSVD) $h_3$ and $h_4$ with the
rotation parameter ($V/\sigma$), and compare our findings to hydrodynamical
simulations. We find remarkable similarities to predictions from gas-rich
mergers. Based on photometry, we perform a bulge/disk decomposition and study
the stellar population properties of the two components. The bulge and the disk
show different stellar populations, with the stars in the bulge being older
(age$_{\rm bulge}=13.5^{+1.4}_{-1.4}$ Gyr, age$_{\rm
disk}=10.5^{+1.6}_{-2.0}$Gyr) and more metal-poor ($\mathrm{[M/H]_{bulge}} =
-0.17^{+0.12}_{-0.1}$, $\mathrm{[M/H]_{disk}}=-0.03^{+0.02}_{-0.1}$). The
evidence of a later-formed, more metal-rich disk embedded in an older, more
metal-poor bulge, together with the LOSVD structure, supports a mass assembly
scenario dominated by gas-rich minor mergers and possibly with a late gas-rich
major merger that left a previously rapidly rotating system unchanged. The
bulge and the disk do not show signs of different stellar Initial Mass Function
slopes, and both match well with a Milky Way-like IMF.
