Padula, Campania

Overview

Discover Padula: Private Tours, Experiences & Custom Travel

Padula is known all over southern Italy for the 'Certosa di San Lorenzo', one of the most important monasteries in southern Italy, It's definitely not a stop you want to miss when driving south or north along this route!

The monastery, which draws visitors from all over the world, was founded in 1306 by Tommaso Sanseverino, who paid for and erected the Carthusian monastery on his own land. The decision to found a monastery for a French order is likely to have been made for political reasons, as Tommaso was close to the Angevin kings of and the valleys, situated between the capital and the remote province of , was of considerable strategic importance. Through the feudal organization of its land, the Certosa maintained a strong influence over the entire area.

The monastery retained its importance until its suppression in 1816.

The plan of san Lorenzo follows the standard pattern of a Carthusian monastery, in keeping with the order’s religious and administrative organisation. A long wall, once acting as an enceinte, encloses the complex.

The arrangement of the building within is determined by the rigorous division between “lower” and “upper” houses-or in lay terms, between communal and secluded activity. The main gate opens onto the outer courtyard, which gave access to the stables, storage rooms, granaries, pharmacy and living quarters of the lay brothers.

The second entrance, the principal one in architectural terms, leads into the monastery itself, where visitors were only rarely admitted. One eminent visitor was Charles V, who stayed here in 1535, while on his way from to . For the occasion the monks are said to have prepared the emperor and his train an omelette made with 1000 eggs.

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Padula Through Our Eyes

Photographed during our own travels and research, these images follow the journey through Padula, from the first view of the landscape to the small details that give the place its character.

Certosa di Padula, Campania

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Cilento Discovery: South of the Amalfi Coast, a New Paradise Is Waiting

South of the Amalfi Coast, there is incredible natural beauty to be discovered along the Cilento coast. Home to spectacular sea-side towns and long stretches of beaches, this area is also home to some of the most well preserved Greek temples in Ital...

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Certosa di Padula with Italy Vacation Specialits

Caves of Pertosa-Auletta

Santa Maria di Castellabate

Sorrento

Acciaroli

Agropoli

Amalfi Coast

Avellino

Borgo Marechiaro

Capri

Caserta

Castellabate

Caves of Pertosa-Auletta

Cilento Coast

Heraculaneum

Ischia

Marina di Camerota

Monte Cassino

Mount Vesuvius

Naples

Nerano

Padula

Paestum

Palinuro

Pisciotta

Pompeii

Procida Island

Salerno

Santa Maria di Castellabate

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The Road to Padula

Most of our guests arrive by private car, with a driver who knows these roads and where it is worth stopping along the way. These are the journeys we arrange most often.

Salerno Campania Matera Basilicata Pompeii Campania Sorrento Campania Naples Campania, Capodichino Airport Rome Lazio, Fiumicino Airport

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