Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the

province of Caserta The province of Caserta () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta, situated about by road north of Naples. The province has an area of , and a population of 907,442. The Palace of Caserta is located nea ...

in the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

region of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. An important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' and city, Caserta is located 36 kilometres north of Naples on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Campanian Subapennine mountain range. The city is best known for the 18th-century Bourbon

Royal Palace of Caserta The Royal Palace of Caserta ( ; ) is a former royal residence in Caserta, Campania, north of Naples in southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as Kingdom of Naples, kings of Naples. The complex ...

History

Anciently inhabited by Osco- Samnite tribes, modern Caserta was established around the defensive tower built in Lombard times by Pando, Prince of

Capua Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...

. Pando destroyed the original city around 863. The tower is now part of the Palazzo della Prefettura that was once the seat of the counts of Caserta, as well as a royal residence. The original population moved from Casertavecchia (former

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

seat) to the current site in the sixteenth century. Casertavecchia was built on the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

town of ''Casa Irta'', meaning "home village located above" and later contracted as "Caserta". The city and its vicinity were the property of the Acquaviva family, who, being pressed by huge debts, sold all the land to King Charles VII of Naples. The royal family then selected Caserta for the construction of their new palace which, being inland, was seen as more defensible than the previous palace fronting the Bay of Naples. At the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the royal palace served as the seat of the

Supreme Allied Commander Supreme Allied Commander is the title held by the most senior commander within certain multinational military alliances. It originated as a term used by the Allies during World War I, and is currently used only within NATO for Supreme Allied Co ...

. The first Allied war trial took place there in 1945; German general

Anton Dostler Anton Dostler (10 May 1891 – 1 December 1945) was a German army officer who fought in both World Wars. During World War II, he commanded several units as a General of the Infantry, primarily in Italy. After the Axis defeat, Dostler was executed ...

was sentenced to death and executed nearby, in

Aversa Aversa () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical dome ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

visited Caserta on Monday, 28 June 2014, together with a friend named Giovanni Traettino, the pastor of an evangelical, charismatic-Pentecostal Protestant church. The Pope apologized for the complicity of some Catholics in the persecution of Protestant Pentecostals during the fascist regime in Italy.

Geography

Caserta is located north of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. Its municipality borders with

Casagiove Casagiove is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about west of Caserta. History It was built in an area previously colonized by the ancient Greeks. In fact its name means "Jupiter's hous ...

Casapulla Casapulla (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about west of Caserta Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. An impo ...

, Castel Morrone, Curti, Limatola ( BN),

Maddaloni Maddaloni (Neapolitan language, Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta, about southeast of Caserta, with stations on the railways from Caserta to Benevento and from Caserta to Naples. Main sights Th ...

, Marcianise, Recale, San Felice a Cancello, San Marco Evangelista, San Nicola la Strada, San Prisco,

Sant'Agata de' Goti Sant'Agata de' Goti is a ''comune'' (municipality) and former Catholic bishopric in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about west of Benevento near the Monte Taburno. History Sant' ...

(BN),

Santa Maria Capua Vetere Santa Maria Capua Vetere is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, in southern Italy. Though it is not connected with the ''Civitas Capuana'', the town is a medieval place and its proximity to the Roman amphit ...

, and

Valle di Maddaloni Valle di Maddaloni is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 2 661 inhabitants in the Province of Caserta in the Italy, Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about east of Caserta. In the communal territory is the Acquedotto Car ...

''Frazioni''

* Casertavecchia - the ancient centre of the ''comune'' and former bishopric seat * San Leucio resort - seat of famous Royal silk workshops, also is included in the World Heritage List *Vaccheria - which housed the stable of the Royal cattle *Falciano - a former bishop seat that includes a sixteenth-century palace *Piedimonte di Casolla - has an ancient

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbey, built over a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Diana *Other "": Aldifreda, Briano, Casola, Casolla, Centurano, Ercole, Garzano, Mezzano, Pozzovetere, Puccianiello, Sala di Caserta, San Benedetto, San Clemente, Santa Barbara, Staturano, Tredici, Tuoro

Climate

The city of Caserta is located in the largest flat area of Campania and is surrounded by the Apennine mountains. The particular position favours the beneficial influences of the sea which, especially in winter, makes temperatures mild. During the summer season, this area is one of the hottest in the region, with maximum temperatures sometimes exceeding 30 degrees. The inland areas extend to the surrounding mountains, often affected by the cold currents of the north-east with fairly low temperatures and snow in winter. The Matese is the coldest and snowiest in the whole area.

Demographics

Honours

The city of Caserta distinguished itself during the Second World War; in fact, it was decorated with the gold medal for civil valor and the bronze medal for military valour for the heroic actions and losses suffered during the war. The city was fiercely bombed and suffered a violent reprisal, but it managed to resist and, with the return of peace, all the people collaborated in the reconstruction of Caserta.

Government

Carlo Marino, mayor of Caserta, was elected mayor of Caserta in June 2016 with 62.74%.

Main sights

*Caserta's main attraction is its

Palace of Caserta The Royal Palace of Caserta ( ; ) is a former royal residence in Caserta, Campania, north of Naples in southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as Kingdom of Naples, kings of Naples. The complex ...

(listed as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

). The royal palace ("Reggia") was designed in the eighteenth century by the Italian architect

Luigi Vanvitelli Luigi Vanvitelli (; 12 May 1700 – 1 March 1773), known in Dutch as (), was an Italian architect and painter. The most prominent 18th-century architect of Italy, he practised a sober classicising academic Late Baroque style that made an ea ...

, recalling

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, as a residence for the Bourbon kings of

and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. As one of the most visited monuments in Italy, the palace has more than 1200 rooms, decorated in various styles. It has been the set for several famous movies such as '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', ''

Angels & Demons ''Angels & Demons'' is a 2000 bestselling mystery- thriller novel written by American author Dan Brown and published by Pocket Books and then by Corgi Books. The novel introduces the character Robert Langdon, who recurs as the protagonist of ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible III'', and ''

Conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

''. The park is long and contains many waterfalls, lakes, and gardens, including a very famous

English garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

. *''Palazzo Vecchio'' ("Old Palace"), a construction of the fourteenth century renovated by Luigi Vanvitelli as provisional residence for the royal court *The cathedral (1800s) *The Aqueduct of Vanvitelli (eighteenth century)

Piazzas

*Piazza Matteotti is one of oldest squares in the city, it is called "Piazza Mercato" (Market Square) by Casertani, because there is the daily market in a building inaugurated in 2008. *Piazza Vanvitelli is the main square in the city. The square once included Palazzo Castropignano, but this was subsequently replaced by a modern palace in the early 1960s. The seat of the municipality of Caserta, Palazzo Acquaviva lies within Piazza Vanvitelli as well as the offices of Questura and Prefettura of the

Province of Caserta The province of Caserta () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta, situated about by road north of Naples. The province has an area of , and a population of 907,442. The Palace of Caserta is located nea ...

and various banks, shops, hotels, and bars. At the center of the square there is a statue of

, the architect who designed the

Gallery

File:Campania Caserta2 tango7174.jpg, The

File:Caserta flickr03.jpg, The Cathedral of Casertavecchia File:Der bourbonische Königspalast in Caserta.jpg, Royal Palace: the gardens File:CarolingianAcqueduct.jpg, The Aqueduct of Vanvitelli File:Statua Vanvitelli Caserta f01.jpg, Statue of

File:Royal Palace of Caserta.webp,

English Garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

Sport

The city has some experience in hosting major international sports events, such as the

EuroBasket 1969 The 1969 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1969, was the sixteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. First round Group A – Caserta Group B – Naples Knockout stage Pla ...

. It is home to

JuveCaserta Basket Sporting Club JuveCaserta (sometimes spelled Juve Caserta), also known as Decò Caserta after its title sponsor, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Caserta, Campania. The team currently plays in the Serie B1, the third tier of Ita ...

, Italy's 1991 basketball champion.

Transport

Caserta railway station is a hub for regional and national traffic, and represents an important interchange linking

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

. The nearest airport is Naples-Capodichino, located approximately south. Caserta is the starting point of the A30 motorway to

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

and is served by two exits of A1 motorway: Caserta Nord (''Caserta North'', near

and

) and Caserta Sud (''Caserta South'', near Marcianise and San Marco Evangelista).

Twin towns – sister cities

Caserta is twinned with: *

Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș (river), Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in th ...

, Romania * Aley, Lebanon

Notable people

Maria Valtorta Maria Valtorta (14 March 1897 – 12 October 1961) was a Catholic Church, Catholic Italian writer. She was a Franciscan tertiary and a lay member of the Servants of Mary who reported personal visions of Jesus and Mary, conversations with, an ...

, Italian writer * Toni Servillo, Italian actor *

Giulio Douhet Giulio Douhet (30 May 1869 – 15 February 1930) was an Italian general and air power theorist. He was a key proponent of strategic bombing in aerial warfare. He was a contemporary of the air warfare advocates Walther Wever, Billy Mitchell, ...

, air power theorist * English

cricketer Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

Hedley Verity Hedley Verity (18 May 1905 – 31 July 1943) was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Yorkshire and England national cricket team, England between 1930 and 1939. A Left-arm orthodox spin, slow left-arm orth ...

is buried there, having died in a Caserta hospital on 31 July 1943 of wounds sustained in

during the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

.Caserta War Cemetery
at

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

. Accessed 26 October 2014

References

External links

Official website
(in Italian) {{Authority control