Caserta

The one compelling reason to visit the town of Caserta, 30km north of Naples, is to gasp at the World Heritage–listed Reggia di Caserta. The former palace is the largest in the world by volume, and its 18th- and 19th-century Royal Apartments are a breathtaking sweep of marble, frescoes, monumental paintings and period furnishings. The palace gardens are worth a visit alone, stretching over 3km in a baroque spectacle of fountains and pools. Prepare to swoon.