This guided tour in Padula will focus on the monastery, the largest in Italy and among the largest in Europe.
The Certosa di San Lorenzo is a very large monastery, comprising of around 300 rooms. With construction starting in 1300 at the behest of Count Sanseverino, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. The dedication to San Lorenzo della Certosa was due to the pre-existing church dedicated to the saint who picked this particular site.
Your visit to Padula starts at the entrance hall with the cloister of the guesthouse. You then enter the church and have the chance to admire the decorations in Neapolitan Baroque style with golden stucco, majolica floors and marble altars.
You will remain in awe seeing the wooden choir of the Fathers with 16th-century wooden inlays before proceeding to the hall of the bells, the chapter and the treasury. The tour continues towards the great refectory hall. Here, you'll see the fresco of the Cana wedding of Francesco d'Elia and the magnificent kitchen with large central hood, decorated with majolica tiles. You will also get the opportunity to admire the cloister of the prior before the tour culminates with the monumental elliptical staircase.