A Weekend in Campania, Italy

April 5, 2024- April 7, 2024

This weekend I spent visiting the 3 towns, Caserta, Paestum, and Pompei, in Campania, Italy and it was nothing short of an amazing experience!

My first day in Campania was spent in Caserta, Italy where I visited The Royal Palace at Caserta which is well worth the visit! It was a great introduction to some of the history of Caserta and the entire Campania region as a whole. Near the back of the palace, there is a Royal Garden that has, what feels like, an unlimited amount of things to see.

Seeing the Royal Garden was my favorite aspect of the Palace because for €4 you can rent a bicycle for 1 hour and spend your time riding through the woods of the garden. In my opinion, this is the best way to see all the small hidden parts of the garden because being able to ride through the woods allowed me to see more of the architecture and beauty of the gardens that is more hidden by the woods. However, if you do not want to rent a bike transportation throughout the Royal Gardens is no issue. They offer a wide range of transportation styles including a shuttle bus, golf carts, and electric bikes that are just as affordable and entertaining as the bicycle rentals.

After my time spent at the Royal Palace, I made a quick stop into the small town of Gragnano to tour a pasta making factory and museum that is known for it’s traditional way of making pasta. It was incredible to be able to see how all of the pasta from this region is created, and at the end of the tour I was able to take home some pasta from the largest selection of pasta types I have ever seen!

My second day was spent in Paestum, Italy which has such a strong sense of historical importance that I realized is often overlooked since the tourist hotspot is Pompei. However, if you ever find yourself in the Campania region I would highly recommend visiting Paestum because it really opened up my mind to smaller area in Italy that are just as important that just what we see on the surface. On this day, I visited Parco Archeologico di Paestum that had ruins that stretched out beyond a beautiful pasture of blooming flowers. I found this archeologic sight fascinating because of it’s beauty and the fact that their weren’t too many tourists there as compared to other, more famous, ruins of Italy.

My final day in Campania was spent touring the preserved streets of the ancient town of Pompei! I’m sure many are familiar with the story of Pompei and its significance. However, no knowledge of this historical city can compare to actually being able to see the ruins in real life. I was genuinely shocked at how large and well preserved Pompei was! While walking through the abandoned streets and homes, I was able to grasp such a realistic feel of what life was like in this town. Its preserved artifacts brought such a sense of uniqueness and importance to the city. I can say, without a doubt, that I have never experienced something quite like this, and just one day here wasn’t enough to see every part of Pompei.

Campania, Italy is such an a memorable region of Italy that I couldn’t recommend higher to people who enjoy any kind of travel because it is truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen before! From pasta enthusiasts, seaside relaxers, and historical enjoyers, there is something for everyone in Campania to enjoy and make a memorable trip out of!