Caserta is the capital of the province of Caserta in the region of Campania. The main attraction of the city is the Royal Palace (Reggia di Caserta), whose gardens are often compared to those of Versailles. There are beautiful fountains everywhere and there is even a waterfall.
Caserta travel guide
Useful information
Region: Campania. Province: Caserta. ZIP: the CAP of Caserta itself is 81100. For Casertavecchia and Casola di Caserta it is 81020. Area code: (+39) 0823.
Tourist office: There is a tourist information point in the town hall (Phone: +39 0823 273512). (Various websites indicate that the tourist office is in the Reggio, but this was closed years ago.)
Railway station: Caserta has its own railway station on the Roma-Napoli line. There are also direct connections to Foggia and Salerno.
Nearest airport: Naples, but there are more flights to Fiumicino (Rome).
Tourist attractions
The famous Royal Palace (Reggio di Caserta) has a Dutch flavor. The architect, Luigi Vanvitelli, had a Dutch father and was actually named Lodewijk van Wittel. Other attractions include the Belvedere di San Leucio, the Chiostro di Sant’Agostino, the medieval San Vitaliano complex and the Oasi del Bosco di San Silvestro. The Palazzo Vecchio dates from the 14th century, but was later restored by Vanvitelli.
Close to Caserta you can visit the suburb Casertavecchia, an ancient hill town with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The biggest attraction here is the Cathedral of San Michele. This walled city is easily reached by bus from Caserta itself.
A brief history of Caserta
Until 1752, what is now Caserta, was no more than a small village called La Torre. Then, the King of Naples, Charles II of Bourbon, decided to build a Royal Palace here. From this moment, present day Caserta started developing around the Reggia.
Caserta is 10 kilometers from the older Casertavecchia. This is now a suburb, but had already been founded in the Middle Ages by the inhabitants of ancient Calatia, a settlement of Etruscan origin that already existed in the 9th century BC.
In the 12th century this settlement became a fief and was owned by various families, before the Bourbon took over in the 18th century.
In 1860, Garibaldi’s soldiers fought multiple battles against the Bourbon on the city’s territory.
In 1843, the Reggia became the headquarters of the Allied command. The palace was also the place where the German forces signed their surrender in 1945.
How to get to Caserta by car
Caserta is located just north of Naples and is easily accessible by car thanks to its location along the Autostrada del Sole, the A1 motorway.