Southside

So we head off from Rome to the South. Roma is basically the dividing point between the rich industrious North, and the poorer agrarian South. This is a huge historical divide among some Italians and exists today still. You can tell that things are different down here. Even a couple hours south of Rome things were different. We stopped in Caserta on our way to Naples and the vibe was decidedly different. A little more rough around the edges and more laid back. We were about 15 cents short for some lunch and rather than break a bigger bill I had, the guy just waved me off and said it was fine. This was most decidedly opposite of Cinque Terre where I was 2 cents short for a couple of coffees and the woman opted to break my 50 note rather than call it even. We decided we were going to like it here. (Oh yeah, the pizza was outta sight too, a white sauce mushroom/proscuitto affair).

So we stopped in Caserta because it was on the way and it has a palace that was built to rival Versailles and it was right across the street from the train station. This was also the site were parts of 3 Star Wars movies were filmed so we thought it warranted a stop. There was no baggage storage, but the nice woman at the TrenItalia desk was happy to keep it for us in her office.
Now Versailles is pretty much the pinnacle in ´screw you we are rich´ palace building and Caserta definitely tried to mimic it but the interior didn´t leave the same impression upon me. Now, the gardens were another story.



There was about a mile of path with waterfalls flowing down into a series of 5 ornate fountains. This was some really intracate engineering as well as some spectacular scenery. The fountains were all stocked with fish so the kings could have fresh fish whenever they wanted. It was a gorgeous walk through the grounds and it was actually free since it was some kind of Italian cultural weekend where all sites were free (bonus).
So remember the end of the first Star Wars (Episode IV) where they are presenting Luke and Solo and Laia with the awards, this is where they shot it with this waterfall in the background.

Yes, I know I am a dork, but it was pretty cool. They also shot some of the Amidala palace of Episode I & II in the palace itself. I assume the intricate marble staircase was part of the scene, which was really stunning.
There was another acre or so of botanical gardens to explore but Naples and delicious pizza was waiting so we took off.