Padula

Padula is a small town in the Vallo di Diano, inland from the Cilento coast, known almost entirely for the Certosa di San Lorenzo (Padula Charterhouse), the largest monastery in Italy. Founded in 1306 by Tommaso di San Severino on the site of an earlier monastery, it was built and expanded over roughly 450 years, with its principal Baroque-era buildings covering some 51,500 square meters and 320 rooms; its main cloister, ringed by 84 columns, is among the largest in the world. Dedicated to Saint Lawrence, the complex's layout is said to allude to the gridiron on which the saint was martyred. The Certosa was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, as part of the wider Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park listing.

Padula is reached by road; the town lies near the A2 Autostrada del Mediterraneo (Salerno–Reggio Calabria) in the Vallo di Diano, with the nearest railway stations on lines serving the valley.

The town itself is small; the Certosa complex, on its edge, is explored on foot once inside.

The Certosa di San Lorenzo, Italy's largest monastery, is the overwhelming reason to visit — its vast cloister, church, refectory, and monks' cells (300+ rooms in total) can be toured, along with a small archaeological museum housed within the complex.

Touring the Certosa is the main activity; the surrounding Vallo di Diano offers additional countryside and hiking within the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park.

The wider Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, including the Cilento coast towns and the Paestum archaeological site, forms the broader region around Padula.