Caserta is often referred to as being overshadowed by its largest and most famous landmark, namely the spectacular Royal Palace of Vanvitelli. In the collective imagination, many maintain that visiting this city is solely justified because of this enormous building, which boasts 1,200 rooms and extensive gardens. Nothing could be further from the truth! It is time to dedicate the proper amount of time in getting to know the true Caserta, a place that has a rich and complex history dating right back to the Etruscan era, although its peak moment of splendour came most decidedly during the last phase of the Bourbon reign, when the construction of the Royal Palace was decided.
Our exploration of Caserta’s artistic and cultural heritage begins in the city centre, where there is much to admire among its Baroque salons, archaeological treasures, botanical rarities and the fortified structures to be found at its various castles, aristocratic palazzos and artists’ homes. We will also venture into the surrounding areas to visit the ancient city of Capua and head towards the coast at the border with Lazio, to a land that is renowned worldwide for its exceptional agricultural and food products, of which Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop is a shining example, with Caserta representing one of the two major production zones.
Upon arriving in Caserta by train, it would appear that the city has to have sprung up around its main attraction, the Royal Palace. The railway station is positioned directly in front of the palace, where the first stone was laid in 1752. However, the construction ordered by King Charles of Bourbon took twenty years to complete, and the architect whose creative mind was behind the project, Luigi Vanvitelli, unfortunately did not live to see its completion. Furthermore, once the exterior was finished, furnishing the expansive interiors became a significant challenge, due to the palace’s vast size: it encompasses some 45,000 square metres. The decoration of the Royal Apartments was a formidable and costly task overseen by Vanvitelli’s son, Carlo, along with other architects who succeeded him in the grand construction site of the Royal Palace of Caserta. During this period, King Charles had to relocate and change kingdoms, as he became the sovereign of Spain in 1759 following the death of his half-brother Ferdinand VI, which led to a distinct scaling-back of the project after his departure. Due to a lack of funds, for example, the intended monumental statue of King Charles on horseback, which was meant to top the tympanum of the main façade, was never realised. The same fate befell the four statues symbolising Magnificence, Justice, Clemency and Peace that were planned for the sides of the main entrance, so these allegories of the virtues that were the foundation of Charles of Bourbon’s political programme never saw the light of day. To truly appreciate the Royal Palace, you should allocate at least half a day for a tour of the Royal Apartments, the Court Theatre, the Palatine Chapel and the Grand Gallery. However, you may also wish to stroll around the Royal Park and the English Garden. If you start your visit early in the morning, you will have quite an appetite by lunchtime, and fortunately a great solution is on hand. For the best pizza in Caserta – recognised as the finest in Italy and indeed the whole world by experts from the ‘50TopPizza’ guide – you need look no further than I Masanielli, run by Francesco Martucci, situated just off Piazza Carlo di Borbone at the entrance to the Palace.
After concluding your visit and the pizza tasting, there are other sights to be seen north of the city. The first stop is the silk museum at the Belvedere di San Leucio, a monumental complex that was commissioned by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, along with the Gardens of Belvedere. Next is Casertavecchia, one of the most fascinating and surprising addresses on this itinerary, which is largely unknown to visitors from other regions. Perched at an altitude of 400 metres in the Tifatini Mountains, this medieval village served as the bishopric of the area from the peak of its glory around the year 1000 right up until the 1800s. The Cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo is the most important monument, but the village is also starting to attract many tourists because it contains the remains of Frederick II’s castle and towers, as well as offering stunning views, charming restaurants and a host of events and festivities, especially during the summer months. On the return trip from Casertavecchia, you can choose to go via the Acquedotto Carolino, constructed in 1762 by Luigi Vanvitelli to supply water for the fountains at the Royal Palace of Caserta and the local territory’s agricultural network. On route, you will come upon our first privately owned historical residence: Palazzo Cocozza di Montanara. Dating back to the 15th century, it has a magnificent garden that spans circa 10,000 square metres. The palazzo was originally owned by the Counts of Ratta, who had it transformed into watchtower as a defensive outpost for Casertavecchia. Subsequently, it came into the possession of the D’Amicos, then the Tomasi family, and ultimately was inherited by the Cocozza di Montanara Marquises through familial connections. The garden is designed in the ‘romantic’ style and is home to a rich variety of Mediterranean and exotic plant species, including centuries-old specimens. There is a small lake, and a series of sculptural elements (such as a well, an obelisk and a circular Ionic temple), reminiscent of the classical era. It was here that director Pierpaolo Pasolini filmed many scenes of his “Decameron” film in 1969. The garden is open for public visits on Sundays during the summer months. It is not, however, possible to stay overnight. As other similar residences in the vicinity likewise do not provide this option, we suggest you book a room at the centrally located 4-star Hotel dei Cavalieri, which lends itself perfectly if you are looking to explore the city and visit the Royal Palace, as it is also conveniently well placed for evening outings and window shopping. This hotel is on Piazza Vanvitelli and is just a short walk to Piazza Duomo and the Cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo, the current bishopric, which was completed in 1842 and constructed in the neoclassical style. From the Duomo, continue along Corso Trieste, the main thoroughfare of the historic centre, which the locals call by its shortened name of ‘Il Corso’. This will lead you to Piazza Dante, which in turn is connected to Via Mazzini, a street lined with stores selling popular clothing brands. Pizza tends to be the ‘go-to’ choice in Caserta, and it would appear visitors are less interested in other local culinary options. However, if you are keen to experience a more traditional cuisine, we recommend the Antica Hostaria Massa, established in 1848, where you can sample dishes like la melanzana in carrozza (aubergine that is sliced and coated in breadcrumbs before being fried) with Agerola Provolone cheese and marinated tomato, baccalà alla piastra (grilled cod) with lemon sauce and green beans, and – to end your meal on a very high note – the classic Neapolitan dessert of babà (a small, sweet yeast-based cake that is soaked in a rum syrup) with Chantilly cream and sour cherries.
Ideally cracking off at dawn, make your way to Recale, just a short 10-minute drive from the middle of Caserta, to visit the first eighteenth-century historical residence of the day, Villa Guevara, whose full name is Villa dei Duchi Suardo Guevara di Bovino. The fame of this property is largely tied to its garden, created in the late 1700s at the behest of Anna Maria Suardo Guevara, Duchess of Bovino and lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Naples, Maria Carolina. In 1781, to facilitate the garden’s irrigation, Ferdinand IV of Bourbon granted the Duchess a carlino di acqua or supply of water from the waterfall at the nearby Royal Palace of Caserta. Spanning 1.7 hectares, the garden was conceived and designed in the classic Italian style. The focal point of the original design is the Viale degli Ombrellini (or ‘umbrella path’), one of the most singular examples of topiary art from the 18th century. Garden enthusiasts will particularly appreciate the presence of a species of Camellia japonica called ‘Atroviolacea’, an exquisite early camellia with a striking purple colour whose origins are believed to be linked to the camellia collection cultivated at the Royal Palace. The Villa is open for guided tours for groups of at least twenty people and offers the possibility of organising breakfasts and lunches, as well as renting the entire property for one-day special events.
It is but a hop, skip and a jump from Villa Guevara to Palazzo Mondo in Capodrise. This building, constructed in the first half of the 18th century, exemplifies the transition in architectural styles between Rococo taste and neoclassical design, with an archaeological inspiration. Visits are possible year-round with prior booking for groups of twenty or more. The interiors reveal a beautifully painted Rococo salon with frescoed walls and ceiling created by painter Domenico Mondo (1723-1806), a dining room and a room dedicated to the Vanvitellian projects of the Royal Palace of Caserta. The Palazzo also has a study painted in yellow and decorated with Etruscan-style borders, a bedroom with Pompeian red walls and antique borders, and a small prayer room. Domenico Mondo lived here until 1789, the year he was appointed as director of the Royal Academy of Design in Naples, along with neoclassical painter Wilhelm Tischbein.
The next rendezvous is also very close by, at Marcianise. The third historical residence of the day dates back to the 19th and early 20th centuries and is called Palazzo Grauso. It can be visited all year round by appointment, for groups of at least 20 people. Originally serving as a guesthouse for the adjacent 18th-century Palazzo del Canonico Giovan Battista Novelli, extensive renovations were carried out on Palazzo Grauso in 1900 by pharmacist Eugenio Grauso, who moved in here in 1914, opening his pharmaceutical laboratory at street level while living with his family on the first floor, which he decorated in a late 19th-century Art Nouveau ‘Liberty’ style.
With these visits under your belt, it is time to depart from Caserta and head towards Capua, a name that instantly evokes Hannibal’s exploits against the Romans, even though Capua was described as a ‘place of leisure’ by historian Livy. The main goal is to visit Palazzo Lanza, but in fact Capua was a very pre-eminent city during Roman times, and indeed Cicero referred to it as the “altera Roma” (translated from the Latin as a ‘second Rome’). Like Rome, it even had its own Senate, hence the acronym S.P.Q.C. (‘Senatus Populusque Capuanum’) still visible on the façade of the town hall, the former seat of the Court of Justice. Highlights include the Roman Bridge, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the Castello delle Pietre or ‘Castle of Stones’ (erected using the stone blocks of the ancient Roman amphitheatre), and above all the Museo Campano, the provincial museum of Capua, which is considered the most important archaeological museum in the province. Palazzo Lanza, home to the Lanza family since 1453, is situated in the historic centre just a few steps from the long-established Grand Priory of the Order of Malta. A place of great historical interest, also due to its extensive archive, it now offers hospitality and welcomes guests to stay in elegant and comfortable rooms on the upper floors. Within its walls there is also a restaurant in the former stables and a library.
Located just a few kilometres from Capua, a visit to the Basilica of Sant’Angelo in Formis should not be missed. It contains stunning frescoes from the year 1000.
Spending the night at Palazzo Lanza is an ideal choice when planning your final day of visits around Caserta. There are a number of options open to you. If you are particularly interested in discovering the symbolic sites of Italian history, Teano should be on your list of places to see, as it is here that Garibaldi handed over the recently conquered Bourbon Kingdom to Vittorio Emanuele II, signifying the end of the military campaign known as the Expedition of the Thousand. Meanwhile, those who are fanatical about Campania buffalo mozzarella DOP will be spoiled for choice when visiting the most outstanding dairies in the area, such as Di Santo in Cesa. The third stop on our itinerary is the last historical residence to be visited, and it is close to the Lazio border. Palazzo dei Baroni di Transo in Sessa Aurunca lies in the medieval section of the town, near the Romanesque Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Its construction dates back to the 15th century, and inside are the cellars (formerly used as a water reserve), an elegantly decorated main ‘piano nobile’ floor in the 18th-century style, an extensive family archive, which is one of the largest private collections of parchments in existence, and a grotto-nymphaeum in the orchard. For those who wish to conclude this suggestive and revelatory journey in style, the estate offers three cosy guest bedrooms. The Palazzo also serves as a venue for private events, concerts and corporate meetings. And as for your last supper, why not return to Teano to sample the excellent dishes served up by chef Pietro Balletta at Locanda De Furis?