Discovering the splendid city of Campania: between monumental visits, walks in the ancient village and gastronomic relaxation.
You are passing through Caserta for a weekend? Or you are in Naples and you want to take the opportunity to do two days even in this amazing city? Here is the itinerary for you.
Where to sleep: advice
A first tip regarding the where to sleep. There are certainly many nice places. However in particular I discovered a beautiful B&B, with an excellent quality / price ratio, right next to the famous Bourbon Palace, or the B&B Titti Artistic which is located in Corso Trieste 11 in Caserta. If you arrive from Naples Airport it will take you about 30-40 minutes to arrive and pay attention to the directions so as not to take the wrong road.
The B&B also has a convenient parking lot right in front, at a cost of € 15 per day. Beyond the fact that the hotel is super nice and the staff as well, the icing on the cake is that they serve you breakfast in your room, an excellent and beautiful breakfast, which will make you feel immediately pampered and happy.
The B & B as anticipated is located 100 meters from the Royal Palace of Caserta, in the heart of the city and also on the shopping street, which is good.
Day 1. The Royal Palace and the Belvedere of San Leucio
So on the first day, if you arrived early, go immediately to visit the Royal Palace which opens at 8.30. Visiting it early in the morning, when there are still very few tourists, will make it even more beautiful. You can book the visit online to save time.
For those who do not know the Palace of Caserta Anchor me Belvedere di San Leucio and l 'Carolino Aqueduct, of which I will mention later, are listed by Unesco in World Heritage sites.
The Royal Palace and its gardens are nothing short of splendid.
The Royal Palace was built in 1780 by the Bourbons of Naples, or the kings of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies, and covers about 47.000 square meters. You will have the opportunity to visit the park, the waterfall, the royal halls and the historic apartments, the Palatine Chapel, the museum and much more. The Royal Palace of Caserta was designed by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli which was visibly inspired by the gardens of the great European residences of the time and in particular by the famous one Palace of Versailles.
The exterior, the royal park and its fountains are undoubtedly the most beautiful and amazing part of the Palace.
The visit will take you at least all morning but I recommend you take your time and, especially if it's a beautiful sunny day, enjoy the immense park.
In the afternoon you can visit the Belvedere of San Leucio.
It is located about 5 km from the Royal Palace, so you will have to take the car or another means of transport. The site is open from 9.30 to 18.00 and tickets can be purchased directly there at a cost of € 6.
The Belvedere of San Leucio is a monumental complex that was commissioned by Charles of Bourbon and then subsequently enlarged by King Ferdinand IV in 1778. The project was born from the utopia of King Ferdinand to give life to an illuminated autonomous community, called Ferdinandopoli, based on the activity of silk weaving.
THECarolino Aqueduct, designed by Luigi Vanvitelli of the Reggia himself, is the aqueduct that was built to feed the Belvedere of San Leucio and in fact also the gardens of the Royal Palace of Caserta. This engineering complex takes water from the Fizzo springs and transports it along a path that winds for over 38 km and requires 16 years of work.
In the evening, return to Caserta and ask for a recommendation typical restaurant taking a tour of Caserta center.
Day 2. Old Caserta
The second day, dedicate it to a more relaxing program and in particular to visit of Caserta Vecchia, relaxation and food.
To get there you can retrace the route taken from the Royal Palace to the Belvedere of San Leucio, for 8 km, up to the beautiful Caserta Vecchia.
Caserta Vecchia is a small one medieval village, a treasure positioned at 450 meters high. It is an ancient medieval town, declared a national monument for its history and incredibly emptied following the XNUMXth century.
The village, which has lost none of its ancient charm, tightens around the Piazza del Vescovado with her Cathedral Arab-Norman completed in 1153 and dedicated to San Michele. The cathedral, although austere and elegant on the outside, is particularly impressive in its interior. The bell tower of the cathedral already shows influences of the Gothic style, it was actually built a few decades later.
Another symbol of Caserta Vecchia are the ruins of the ancient Castle. This complex was born to "guard" the city, at its highest point, and it is already mentioned in 861, a fact that surprises even more seeing how the Keep has remained so intact.
Enjoy a beautiful walk, the medieval atmosphere and the view from up there.
Eat in some small restaurant in the surroundings of Caserta Vecchia and then, for a snack, visit a dairy to savor the local delicacies.
For example the La Reale Dairy in via Case Sparse in Falciano Del Massico, also in Caserta, and taste the famous braid, it will give you unique emotions.
Two days should be enough to fill your eyes with beauty and your mouths with delights.
