Anciently inhabited by
Osco-
Samnite tribes, modern Caserta was established around the defensive tower built in
Lombard times by
Pando, Prince of
Capua. Pando destroyed the original city around 863. The tower is now part of the Palazzo della Prefettura that was once the seat of the counts of Caserta, as well as a royal residence. The original population moved from
Casertavecchia (former
bishopric seat) to the current site in the sixteenth century. Casertavecchia was built on the
Roman town of
Casa Irta, meaning "home village located above" and later contracted as "Caserta". The city and its vicinity were the property of the
Acquaviva family, who, being pressed by huge debts, sold all the land to King
Charles VII of Naples. The royal family then selected Caserta for the construction of their new palace which, being inland, was seen as more defensible than the previous palace fronting the Bay of Naples. At the end of
World War II, the royal palace served as the seat of the
Supreme Allied Commander. The first
Allied war trial took place there in 1945; German general
Anton Dostler was sentenced to death and executed nearby, in
Aversa.
Pope Francis visited Caserta on Monday, 28 June 2014, together with a friend named Giovanni Traettino, the pastor of an
evangelical Protestant Charismatic Pentecostal church. The Pope apologized for the complicity of some Catholics in the persecution of
Pentecostals during the
fascist regime in Italy. == Geography ==