Caserta

Caserta lays claim to the largest palace complex on the globe by total area (soz Versailles). That’s the mighty Reggia di Caserta, which spills across the flatlands of the Campanian low country in a such a show of opulent Baroque that some have hailed it as the magnum opus of the style. The grounds alone are usually enough to get the camera a-clicking. They flit from majestic Neo-Classical effigies of Diana and Actaeon to wide boulevards peppered with fountains and pruned hedges. Inside, double staircases that look lifted from the Titanic meet a gold-gilded Throne Room. It’s breathtaking.