The Certosa of San Lorenzo in Padula is a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is the largest Certosa in Italy. Among the most important monastic complexes in Europe, it is one of the major attractions in Campania. The structure covers no less than 5 hectares of land. The original core dates back to the 14th century, but the current building is from the 16th-18th century. It became a national monument in 1882, but was left in a state of neglect and abandonment until its restoration in the 1960s.
It is home to the Archaeological Museum of Western Lucania and a large collection of contemporary art. The structure opens with the so-called “lower house”, which includes the storehouses, cellars, oil mill, stables, granaries, ovens and all the other rooms connected with the business and production activities of the monastery-city. This was the area where the monks came into contact with the outside world. In the “upper house”, on the other hand, real monastic life took place: here, you will find the kitchen, the refectory, the treasure room, the chapter house and, around the large cloister, the monks’ cells, the prior’s flat, the library and, of course, the gardens. Special mention must be made of the Church of San Lorenzo, a must-see.