Aqueduct of Vanvitelli - Capua - Monte Cassino Abbey

Route: Naples - Aqueduct of Vanvitelli - Capua - Monte Cassino Abbey - Naples
Duration: 8 h
Our first stop we will make at the  Aqueduct of Vanvitelli – also known as Carolino Aqueduct in honour of the King Charles III of Bourbon which was constructed in 1753 -1769 with a purpose to bring water to the fish pond, the fountains and the cascades featured in the gardens at the Royal Palace of Caserta. Along the way, it also managed to provide water to a few mountain villages,  irrigation to the flatlands and augmenting the flow in the aqueduct that supplies water to Naples. It  modelled on ancient Roman aqueducts is made of three rows of arches, 55.8 metres high at its highest point. The Aqueduct of Vanvitelli features on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Our next stop will be at the Capua, a small town on the river Volturno, has been an active local centre for more than 2000 years, as can be seen in the monuments and buildings in and near the town. It is now a quiet regional centre, visited for its important museum but also having several churches and other places of interest. The Corso Appio is the main street in Capua, situated on the Roman consular road called the Via Appia.Your visit to Capua will start in the Piazza of Judges in the centre of the city, where you can see the 16th century Town Hall, and with a façade featuring seven busts taken from the Amphitheatre of Santa Maria Capua Vetere. Nearby you can also see the Church of Saint Eligi, which was built in the Middle Ages and renovated in the Baroque period. Among the most important sights in Capua is Capua Cathedral, built in the 9th century and renovated several times over the centuries. On the right of the cathedral you can see the Bell Tower with three levels of double Lancet Windows and ancient columns. Inside the items of interest include the candelabra of the Easter candle that dates back to about the 13th century, and a painting of the Assumption by Francesco Solimena (1657-1747) in the apse. In a chapel in the crypt of the cathedral there is a marble statue of "Dead Christ" by Matteo Bottigliero (1684-1757).  in the Chapel of the Sacrament there is a 17th century ciborium and a 15th century wooden "Madonna"; while in the chapel of "S.S. body of Christ" there is the Diocesan Museum, that holds items relating to folk art dating back to the 1st century BC and some statues that once decorated the Capua Gate. Next we will visit to the Monte Cassino Abbey which is one of the most known Abbeys in the world. In 529 Saint Benedict chose this mountain to build a monastery that would host him and those monks following him on the way from Subiaco. Paganism was still present here, but he managed to turn the place into a well-structured Christian monastery where everybody could have the dignity they deserved through praying and working. Within the centuries the Abbey has met magnificence and destruction many times, and has always come out of its ruins stronger. In 577 Langobards destroyed it, then Saracens in 887. In 1349 a violent earthquake occurred.  Up on top of the 520 meters high mountain the monastery can easily be seen from far, making it a distinct landmark of the region. Ora et labora et lege: this is the motto of Saint Bendict's Rule that the monks still follow in their daily routine. Some of them study in the library surrounded by ancient books, or make researches in the archive on breathtaking manuscripts. Some others host people seeking for a moment of inner peace and serenity. You can silently go through  the cloisters and then up the big ramp to the Basilica at Saint Benedict and Scholastica's grave. Then visit tj the Crypt is there beneath to be revealed with the astonishing golden mosaics. In the museum you can see the magnificent paintings, the wonderful manuscripts and ancient books. You can go through the history of the Abbey from the very beginning till today and grasp why Montecassino Abbey is known as the Lighthouse of Western Civilization. After free time we will return to Naples.
Price: per person