Caserta and surroundings:
in five stages, just a stone’s throw away from you
Beyond the Regina: a world of beauty
From here, Hotel Regina, the area awaiting you spreads out in concentric circles: the Royal Palace of Caserta is just a few minutes’ walk away, the San Leucio Silk Factory is just over three kilometres away, Caserta Vecchia sits on the hillside, the Campanian Amphitheatre at Santa Maria Capua Vetere and the Ponti della Valle lie just beyond. Five stops, spanning five different centuries of history, all within easy reach in a single day: we’ll tell you all about them, one by one!
The Royal Palace,
right next to you
Would you like to explore it on foot or by bike?
Walk to the Royal Palace of Caserta and in a few minutes, you’ll find yourself standing in front of Luigi Vanvitelli’s façade – the world’s largest royal residence by volume and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Allow at least four or five hours if you want to explore the Royal Apartments and the Royal Park at a leisurely pace, or at least two if you’re just heading along the long avenue to the Great Waterfall. Would you prefer to explore it on foot or with the bikes, tandems, and rickshaws we have available for you? Alternatively, you can also hire bikes inside the Royal Palace or take the shuttle bus (for a fee) that connects the apartments to the Gardens of Venus. P.S. The Royal Palace is closed on Tuesdays, all year round.
three centuries of silk
a village at 400 metres above sea level
second to the Colosseum
a suspended aqueduct
Naples and the islands
three centuries of silk
a village at 400 metres above sea level
second to the Colosseum
a suspended aqueduct
Naples and the islands
three centuries of silk
A bike ride and a view that’s well worth it
Hop on your bike and, in just a few minutes – about three and a half kilometres from Hotel Regina – you’ll be in San Leucio: it was here, in 1778, that Ferdinand IV of Bourbon founded an autonomous textile community, complete with houses, a school, and a factory designed for the workers – a social project that was ahead of its time. The silk museum still houses the original looms, and the silk produced here has been worn by royal families across half of Europe. Spoiler: the scenic climb offers you a unique view of Caserta!
three centuries of silk
a village at 400 metres above sea level
second to the Colosseum
a suspended aqueduct
Naples and the islands
a village at 400 metres above sea level
Has someone stopped the hands of the clock?
Take the car or, if you fancy it, enjoy a bike ride: Caserta Vecchia is about ten kilometres from Hotel Regina, a twenty-minute drive that climbs to an elevation of four hundred metres. This is the original medieval centre of Caserta, with a Romanesque cathedral and a castle that overlooks the plain all the way to the sea on the clearest of days. Go there late in the morning, when the cobbled streets are still quiet, and stop for lunch with a view: it’s one of the best-preserved villages in the area.
three centuries of silk
a village at 400 metres above sea level
second to the Colosseum
a suspended aqueduct
Naples and the islands
second to the Colosseum
This is where Spartacus used to train
About seven kilometres from Hotel Regina, in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, the Campanian Amphitheatre awaits you: in terms of size, it is second only to the Colosseum, which is said to have inspired its design. This is where Spartacus trained and fought before the uprising that shook Rome, and the perfectly preserved underground chambers still tell the story of how the spectacles were staged. It’s closed on Mondays: if you’re staying for two or three days, it’s worth spending half a day there, perhaps combining it with a visit to the nearby Gladiator Museum.
three centuries of silk
a village at 400 metres above sea level
second to the Colosseum
a suspended aqueduct
Naples and the islands
a suspended aqueduct
529 metres of water into the void
Carry on towards Maddaloni, about ten kilometres from Hotel Regina, and you’ll see a series of arches come into view: these are the Ponti della Valle Aqueduct, the most spectacular section of the Caroline Aqueduct, which is almost 60 metres high and 529 metres long. It was built by Luigi Vanvitelli to carry water from Mount Taburno to the Royal Palace of Caserta, following a 38-kilometre route. The solution to a problem that seemed impossible. We recommend taking a photo of it from below, along the main road that runs through the valley.
three centuries of silk
a village at 400 metres above sea level
second to the Colosseum
a suspended aqueduct
Naples and the islands
Naples and the islands
Hop on the train at Caserta station, just a few minutes’ walk from Hotel Regina, and in about half an hour you’ll be at Napoli Centrale, ready to head for the historic centre, Pompeii, or the Amalfi Coast: trains run frequently – every fifteen minutes during peak times – so there’s no need to plan everything in advance. If you have an extra day, set off for Capri, Ischia, or Procida – Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2022: the journey starts from the port of Naples, which you’ll reach on the same train. On the FAQs page, you’ll find all the journey times, island by island.
