Padula Charterhouse
It is possible to divide the architectural layout of the Certosa di Padula into two areas: the first includes the workplaces while the second is the area of residence of the monks.
The structure of the Charterhouse, as for all the other Charterhouses, follows the Carthusian rule, that is the rule that preaches work and contemplation. Precisely for this reason in the Charterhouse there are different places for their implementation: the cloister, the library, where it is still possible to admire the floor made of Vietrese ceramic tiles, the Chapel decorated with precious marbles, the large kitchen, the large wine cellars, the laundries and the neighboring fields where the fruits of the earth were cultivated for the sustenance of the monks.
Despite in the Church as in other places of the Certosa di Padula, the numerous empty spaces testify to the suppression of the Certosa by the French at the beginning of the nineteenth century, which caused the dispersion of numerous artistic treasures, the Certosa di Padula is a symbol of great architecture beyond than a great past.
How to reach the Certosa di Padula?
The municipality of Padula and the respective monastery of San Lorenzo can be reached by car, for those coming from the north, along the Salerno - Reggio Calabria motorway, take the Padula - Buonabitacolo exit, and then continue along the national road SS 19 the nearest railway station is that of Sicignano degli Alburni.