Caserta is a small city 27 km north of Naples, and almost everyone who visits comes for one reason: the Reggia di Caserta, the colossal Royal Palace built in the eighteenth century as the Bourbon kings' answer to Versailles. With 1,200 rooms, 34 grand staircases, and a park stretching 3 km behind the palace to a dramatic cascade, it is one of the most extraordinary achievements of Italian Baroque architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The palace is a short walk from the train station, making Caserta an easy day trip from Naples — about 40 minutes by regional train from Napoli Centrale. The park behind the palace is as impressive as the interiors: formal gardens give way to English-style landscaping, fountains, and a series of monumental waterfalls fed by an aqueduct built 250 years ago across a 30-mile span.
Beyond the palace, the old town preserves a quiet medieval atmosphere. The streets around the cathedral still feel unhurried, a contrast to the chaos of nearby Naples.