Caserta Cathedral (San Michele Arcangelo)

In the heart of Caserta stands the Cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo, seat of the diocese and a national monument. Its story begins after the fire of 1783 that destroyed the church of San Sebastiano: in 1822 building work began at the behest of Ferdinand I, and after several revisions of the design, with Pietro Valente's Neoclassical contribution, the church was inaugurated in 1842.We recommend climbing the wide staircase in Bellona stone and entering a Latin-cross interior with coffered ceilings and a barrel vault in Pompeian style. We like to linger over the Triumph of Saint Michael by Luigi Taglialatela, who also repaired the damage from the 1943 bombing, the bronze door and the crypts with the bishops' tombs.