Itinerary
After a journey of about 2 hours and 30 minutes you will arrive to Cassino, were you will enjoy a guided tour of the famous “Abbazia” monastery which is situated 519 meters above sea level. (More information and videos on Caserta and Cassino is provided below)

Before continuing to Caserta there will be a short visit to the elegant, ornate and refined British World War II military cemetery with its 4255 graves of those lost in the Great War.

In Caserta you will treated to the spectacular Royal Palace and its Park where you can walk, rent bicycles and rickshaws or take a ride in a horse and carriage. Recently, the park won the award for most beautiful parks in Italy 2009.

Your coach will take you back to Sorrento by late afternoon.

Days available
Monday

Pickup points and times
You will be advised of the most convenient pickup point for your accommodation
Approx 08.00 start and 17.30 return depending on the pickup point

Method of payment
After reservations have been confirmed payment can be made by credit card before the visit or in the Sorrento office itself, whichever is the more convenient.
To book a reservation please use our enquiry form or telephone +44 (0) 1446 771220.

Extras paid on site.
Paestum Museum entrance fee € 6.50

Additional Notes
Lunch is not included in the price of this excursion
In order to visit the Abbey in Cassino you must be suitably dressed, in particular you need to cover shoulders, legs and generous head covering.

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Background information about the locations visited on this excursion
Here is some factual information about Caserta and Cassino.
You can also see videos of Caserta on Friends of Sorrento TV

Cassino
Cassino is the location of the famous “Abbazia”. Founded in 529 by St. Benedict of Norcia on the site of an ancient tower and a temple dedicated to Apollo, situated 519 meters above sea level, during its history it suffered an alternate story of destruction, looting, earthquakes and the consequent reconstruction. In 584, during the invasion of the Lombards, the monastery was destroyed for the first time and the community of monks, with the remains of the holy founder, had to take shelter in Rome. Then, from 643 the monks found accommodation in the community of St. Colombano in Bobbio and later in various monasteries and colombaniane abbeys in Italy and Europe, increasing greatly the Benedictine communities. Rebuilt in 717 under the impulse of Petronace of Montecassino, the Abbey was destroyed a second time by the Saracens in 883, being rebuilt in 949 by Pope Agapito II. Throughout the Middle Ages, the abbey was a lively centre of culture due to its abbots, libraries, archives, schools writer and miniaturist, who transcribed and conserved many antique works. Historical evidence of high interest have been collected and passed on to Montecassino: from the first precious documents in the manuscripts of the famous Monte Cassino, the precious and rare incunabula. During the Second World War the Abbey was almost completely destroyed and later rebuilt in the same splendour. The order of visits is likely to be changed by the guide to ensure the best conditions.

British World War II military cemetery
The cemetery has 4255 graves, the great contribution of the British Commonwealth countries during the Great War. It was opened in 1956, its elegant architecture, ornate and refined taste. The care that is given to the clear waters of the glaze and the green gardens gives a sense of living presence to the souls of the soldiers buried.

Caserta
Surely the most beautiful and interesting place to visit is the famous Royal Palace of Caserta, it is a historic mansion that belonged to the royal family of Bourbon dynasty in Naples. It is surrounded by a vast park in which there are identified two areas : the Italian garden and the English garden. The complex of the royal palace, with its gardens are around 2.5 kilometers long, is one of the largest in Europe. Inside the park of the Royal Palace, local inhabitants, who have free access, they used to go jogging or just bicycle riding in the immense park. On the west side of the palace there is the church of San Francesco di Paola, which is part of a complex once the convent of the Frati Minimi, founded in 1605 by Andrea Matteo Acquaviva, now a military hospital. Pope Benedict XIII in 1727 stopped here and Luigi Vanvitelli is buried here however, is not certain in what part of the church.