Holiday apartment in Caserta – Reggia, UNESCO World Heritage and historic sites

Caserta combines an extraordinary palace complex with garden design, the history of hydraulic engineering and medieval architecture. The Reggia di Caserta is part of the heritage ensemble added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. Its foundation stone was laid in Caserta on 20 January 1752. Caserta railway station is located directly opposite the Reggia di Caserta; access is via Piazza Carlo di Borbone. The Reggia Express, a historic train service operated by Fondazione FS between Naples and Caserta, also forms a special historical link between the city and its cultural monument. The service uses carriages from the Centoporte and Corbellini workshops dating from the 1930s and 1950s.

Culture

Inside the Reggia di Caserta, four courtyards and three atria are arranged throughout the building. The gardens are also an essential part of the complex: the Giardino Inglese is one of the earliest examples of its kind in continental Europe. The Castelluccia, built in 1769, forms a structured ensemble of gardens and buildings dominated by an octagonal pavilion.

Another architectural chapter can be found in Casertavecchia. The Duomo di San Michele Arcangelo was built between 1153 and 1197 and combines Sicilian-Romanesque architecture with Islamic and Gothic influences. Thus, courtly monumental architecture, designed garden spaces and medieval ecclesiastical architecture are closely connected thematically in Caserta, without blurring their different periods of origin.

History

In 1778, the Belvedere di San Leucio was repurposed for silk production and processing, giving rise to the Colonia Reale di San Leucio. The Belvedere di San Leucio was added to the World Heritage List in 1997 together with the Reggia di Caserta and the Acquedotto Carolino. The history of the colony is also shaped by the laws of San Leucio enacted in 1789, which regulated its organisation. Scientists viewed this organisation as an example of socialism avant la lettre.

Nature

The Acquedotto Carolino is a work of hydraulic engineering designed by Luigi Vanvitelli. Its 38-kilometre course supplies the basins and fountains of the Parco Reale. After crossing the provinces of Benevento and Caserta, it also runs through Caserta. In the park, the Via d’Acqua forms the central axis and completes the so-called telescope effect of the portico of the Reggia di Caserta.

The Bosco di San Silvestro is part of the surrounding landscape. Seasonal migratory birds as well as resident birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects live there. The Oasi del Bosco di San Silvestro offers the interactive, approximately two-hour Percorso Natura tour. The Sentiero del miele includes a tasting of honey directly from the honeycomb. A project using ecological farming methods is also reviving the traditional production of Pallagrello in the Bosco di San Silvestro.

Casertavecchia is a completely preserved medieval village in the hills above Caserta. The centre is fully accessible to pedestrians and has tourist services and information points. With its cathedral, bell tower, castle ruins and historic lanes, Casertavecchia is a tourist destination.

If you would like to expand your regional selection, you can find more places here: Baia Domizia, Sessa Aurunca, Cellole Ce, Marcianise, Vitulazio, Mondragone, Lauro, Castel Volturno, Caserta, Capodrise, Bellona, San Nicola La Strada, Castello Del Matese, Camigliano, San Felice A Cancello, Orta Di Atella, Casapulla, Corigliano, Aversa, Briano, Pratella, Carinola, Gioia Sannitica, Villa Literno, Dragoni, Capua, Pontelatone, Arienzo, Pastorano, Pietramelara, Falciano Del Massico, Presenzano, Alvignano, Annunziata, Cesa, San Pietro Infine, Conca Della Campania, Valle Di Maddaloni, Caianello Vecchio, Riardo, Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Casagiove, Grottola, Liberi, Filorsi, Mignano Monte Lungo, San Clemente, Roccamonfina, Ricci, San Castrese, Caiazzo, Piccilli, Macerata Campania, Rocca d'Evandro, Teano, Casanova, San Prisco, Statigliano, Sant'Angelo d'Alife, Gricignano di Aversa, Calvi Risorta, Maddaloni, Piedimonte Matese, San Tammaro, Squille, Prata sannita, Torre Lupara.

For the higher-level travel overview: Campania.