Province of Caserta

Province of Caserta
The Province of Caserta is a province in the Campania region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta, situated about by road north of Naples. The province has an area of , and had a total population of 924,414 in 2016. The Palace of Caserta is located near to the city, a former royal residence which was constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples. It was the largest palace and one of the largest buildings erected in Europe during the 18th century. In 1997, the palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
The province of Caserta in the historical Terra di Lavoro region, also known as Liburia, covered the greatest expanse of territory around the 13th century when it extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea and the islands of Ponza and Ventotene to the Apennines and the southern end of the Roveto Valley. In the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Caserta was one of the most important departments in southern Italy.
The first capital of the region was the ancient city of Capua until 1818, then Caserta. In addition to Naples, the most important centers were Caserta, Capua, Nola, Gaeta, Sora, Aversa, Teano, and Isola Liri. In 1816, during the French occupation, Joseph Bonaparte reformed the territorial division of the kingdom of Naples, on the basis of the French model. A series of royal decrees completed the reforms, introducing local administrative units or communes like the French ones. The new Napoleonic reforms led to the establishment of the Province of Naples. In 1863, after the annexation of the Kingdom of Italy, the north-eastern comuni of Terra di Lavoro became part of the province of Campobasso, and Venafro and the surrounding areas were later transferred to the province of Isernia, established in the 1870s. In 1927, Benito Mussolini decided to dissolve the province of Terra di Lavoro, uniting much of its territory and the Pontine Islands to the province of Naples, although municipalities near Piedimonte and Alife were distributed between the provinces of Benevento and Campobasso and the districts of Sora and Gaeta went to the province of Rome. In 1945, a Decree signed by Umberto di Savoia reconstituted the Province of Caserta, and finally in 1970, the modern province came into being.
Geography
The territory of the Province of Caserta, which lies on the southwestern part of central Italy, is bordered to the north by the Matese mountains belonging to the Apennines and by undulating hills, and to the south and west by plains of various types. To the northeast, near the Matese mountains is the Lago del Matese. The highest point is Monte Miletto at , divided between Campania and Molise. The karst massif is rich in water and minerals, and contains many caves and mountain lakes. Other mountainous areas of note include Monte Santa Croce, with the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina, on the border with Lazio, the Trebulani Mountains, in the central part of the province to the north including Monte Maggiore reaching , and the Tifatini Mountains to the south. The Volturno River flows through the centre of the province with a defensive outpost at Capua. The southern highlands of Caserta border the Province of Benevento.
Comunes
There are 104 comuni (singular: comune) in the province:
Ailano
Alife
Alvignano
Arienzo
Aversa
Baia e Latina
Bellona
Caianello
Caiazzo
Calvi Risorta
Camigliano
Cancello e Arnone
Capodrise
Capriati a Volturno
Capua
Carinaro
Carinola
Casagiove
Casal di Principe
Casaluce
Casapesenna
Casapulla
Caserta
Castel Campagnano
Castel Morrone
Castel Volturno
Castel di Sasso
Castello del Matese
Cellole
Cervino
Cesa
Ciorlano
Conca della Campania
Curti
Dragoni
Falciano del Massico
Fontegreca
Formicola
Francolise
Frignano
Gallo Matese
Galluccio
Giano Vetusto
Gioia Sannitica
Grazzanise
Gricignano di Aversa
Letino
Liberi
Lusciano
Macerata Campania
Maddaloni
Marcianise
Marzano Appio
Mignano Monte Lungo
Mondragone
Orta di Atella
Parete
Pastorano
Piana di Monte Verna
Piedimonte Matese
Pietramelara
Pietravairano
Pignataro Maggiore
Pontelatone
Portico di Caserta
Prata Sannita
Pratella
Presenzano
Raviscanina
Recale
Riardo
Rocca d'Evandro
Roccamonfina
Roccaromana
Rocchetta e Croce
Ruviano
San Cipriano d'Aversa
San Felice a Cancello
San Gregorio Matese
San Marcellino
San Marco Evangelista
San Nicola la Strada
San Pietro Infine
San Potito Sannitico
San Prisco
San Tammaro
Sant'Angelo d'Alife
Sant'Arpino
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Santa Maria a Vico
Santa Maria la Fossa
Sessa Aurunca
Sparanise
Succivo
Teano
Teverola
Tora e Piccilli
Trentola-Ducenta
Vairano Patenora
Valle Agricola
Valle di Maddaloni
Villa Literno
Villa di Briano
Vitulazio
References
External links
Official website
Caserta
Caserta