Culture
La Reggia di Caserta — Italy's Versailles, then some
1,200 rooms, 120 hectares of garden, a four-tier waterfall and an English Garden that almost no one walks to.
What to see beyond the front rooms
The Grand Staircase is the Instagram shot; keep going. Past the throne rooms is the Royal Apartment of Ferdinando II — quieter, often nearly empty. Then take the shuttle (or walk 2.5km) through the gardens to the four-tier waterfall.
The English Garden — created by Maria Carolina in 1786 — has Italy's first artificial lake and a Doric temple in ruins. Almost no one walks the extra 30 minutes to see it.
Getting there
Trenitalia regional from Napoli Centrale to Caserta — 30 min, €3.40. The palace is a five-minute walk from the station. Tickets €15, often available walk-up; book the shuttle separately for the gardens.
Where to stay
Our homes in Caserta
Home of the Reggia — Vanvitelli's answer to Versailles — and the buffalo-mozzarella country that defines the region's most famous export.
Keep reading
More guides from our team
Culture6 min readHerculaneum — the better Pompeii
Vesuvius buried Herculaneum in pyroclastic mud rather than ash — preserving wood, fabric, even food. It's the more intimate site, and you can do it in three hours.
Culture5 min readHow to order coffee like a Neapolitan
The Neapolitan coffee ritual takes ninety seconds and changes how you measure days. A short guide to doing it correctly.