castel gandolfo

It is a sweet little village with an excellent view over the lake. The main attraction might be the Pope's summer castle, but it's worth a visit any time of the year. The lake is excellent for swimming or taking a paddle boat around and a nice trail goes around the whole lake for walking/running/biking.

Our Driver after showing us the mysterious Catacombs on Appia Antica ( John : Rome in Limo by John ) safely drove us for the marvelous view of the river on top of City : Catelgandolfo. Time to reach the little city was only 30 minutes from Catacombs. Stopped for lunch too...but best to go only if nice Sun . It is the official summer home of the popes...

We went to this little charming place near a beautyfull lake. We arrived by train and were a little confused by the ditection from the trainstop to the city, but maneged to find it by map on our tlf. The view was great and the lunch at "antica pasta all'uovo" was really good!

We came here on a warm and sunny January Sunday, and had a wonderful time walking around the cute little town, taking pics, shopping in the little stores, and having gelato and coffee in a gelateria / bar with a sunny patio. We also saw the church on the square and the "pesepe" exhibit (nativity scenes), enjoyed the details of laundry hung outside, colorful flower pots, cats, and small and creative decorative items on the windows and door frames everywhere. Amazing views, beautiful also from below at the lake looking up to the castello. Excellent respite from the crowds of the city! It reminded us that our next trip to Italy should be one of little towns rather than big cities....

The Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo, or the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo from its Italian name Palazzo Apostolico di Castel Gandolfo, is a 17th-century papal palace in the city of Castel Gandolfo, Italy. It has served for centuries as a summer residence and vacation retreat for the pope, the leader of the Catholic Church. Although situated within Castel Gandolfo, the residence is afforded extraterritorial status as one of the properties of the Holy See and is not under the jurisdiction of Castel Gandolfo or Italy.

For those wanting a change of pace from Rome's bustle and crowds one does very well by taking a train day trip out to Castel Gandolfo. Castel Gandolfo lies on a commuter train line that runs from Rome Termini out to a terminus station in nearby Albano. But be aware that there is a climb up a steep path with stretches of steps to get from the Castel Gandolfo train station up to the center of town. There is also a road route into town from the station but it is also an uphill climb and the path is a shortcut. Either way, one needs to be in passably reasonable walking shape!Castel Gandolfo offers spectacular scenery as it is perched on the rim of the ancient crater lake of Lago Albano. That view alone is worth the trip for me and one can enjoy it over lunch or dinner from one of several restaurants that offer balcony seating overlooking the lake. Castel Gandolfo is also the site of the Pope's summer residence and it has been recently opened to the public. One can now tour parts of the residence and roam its grounds.For those with any interest in Roman history the Castel Gandolfo is also the location of a startling example of ancient engineering know-how. Back in 700 BC the lake was apparently a bit more volcanically active than it is now and by some still poorly understood natural phenomenon the level of the lake suddenly rose some 300 ft. to pour out over the crater rim and inundate the farm fields lying between it and Rome. This was a problem that the Romans and their Etruscan engineers were motivated to fix. So they built a drainage tunnel through the wall of the volcanic crater, a tunnel that is just over a kilometer long. This drained the water in the lake back down to more or less where it remains today. The ancient tunnel is still there and would still drain lake water if the lake level ever rises back up to where the tunnel entrance remains visible for those who know where to look. The tunnel runs below the center of the town of Castel Gandolfo. A similar but even longer drainage tunnel (nearly a mile long) was dug by the Etruscans even earlier under the crater walls of neighboring Lake Nemi, presumably for a similar reason.Other tidbits of regional history include the fact that the vast villa grounds of Emperor Domitian were once located in and around Castel Gandolfo. Emperor Caligula also had a palatial villa near neighboring lake Nemi and floated two large boats on that lake, complete with heated floors and modern water faucets. Emperor Septimus Severus used nearby Albano as his residence when he arrived to restore order in Rome following the assassination of his ally and friend, Emperor Pertinax, at the hands of the notorious Praetorian Guard. Severus had served in the Roman army under Pertinax's father during his earlier career. The modern town of Albano lies on top of the Roman fort city (castrum) that Septimus Severus built for his own personal bodyguard - his 2nd Parthian Legion, one of several that he himself had established - who he used to disband the recalcitrant Praetorian Guard in Rome. In fact, the Alban Hills region was a favorite place for villas of many wealthy and famous Romans. As another example, the town of Albano which lies only a bit over a mile away from castel Gandolfo (and which once in ancient times included Castel Gandolfo as part of its extent) was the location of the villa of Pompey the Great. It was at this favorite villa of his where Pompey and his beloved young wife, Julia (the 17 year old daughter of his triumvirate contemporary, Julius Caesar), once hosted Ptolemy 12 of Egypt for a stay of four years while Ptolemy was avoiding some self-inflicted unrest back in Egypt! And also, it is thought, Ptolemy's daughter, Cleopatra, came with him and was twelve years old at the time she arrived. Albano is now relatively easy to walk to since a concrete pedestrian walkway has been created that runs alongside the narrow and heavily trafficked road that links Albano with Castel Gandolfo. It is now a peaceful walk along a wooded country road with hilltop views of the plains of Rome lying below and the Tyrrhenian Sea coastline in the distance.Having once lived in neighboring Albano for three years as a child (in a modern villa that is located on a part of the reputed ancient grounds of Pompey's villa) I took a nostalgic walk into Albano along that new pedestrian path and then caught a train from Albano back to Rome at the end of the afternoon. As a personal footnote, it is a thrilling notion which makes history come alive for me that a very young Cleopatra perhaps (likely?) once played on much the same grounds that I played on when I was twelve years old (her age at the time). If she was a resident at Pompey's villa for four years she must surely have encountered Julius Caesar (perhaps frequently) as a child, years before she later met him as a young woman by being sneaked into his presence in Alexandria, rolled up in her legendary rug to escape the attention of her brother who had just murdered Pompey, their father's former host in a time of need, and then besieged Julius Caesar!

Small village on a hill over looking the Lake with tourist shops,restaurants with lake views and a lovely church and fontana

Enjoy the town of Castel Gandolfo in the height of summer during a more intimate Papal Audience, given the Pope may spend some of his time at the Papal Palace in Castel Gandolfo. We went for a day trip, actually an afternoon trip, during Autumn and it was the escape to some quiet relaxation we needed. An easy train ride from Rome, we enjoyed a relaxed lunch with delicious authentic Italian flavours. Then strolled the Via's and laneways seeing such old buildings and cosy trattoria's or ristoranti to have a coffee and homestyle Tiramisu. A few hours was enough before we took the train ride back to Rome, way more relaxed. The quiet, fresh air by the magnificent Lake Albano was great food for the soul.

A unique Italian town with a great view! An easy side trip from Rome, and well worth the drive. Be sure to have lunch and a coffee overlooking the lake!

the Pope's summer place is a very nice one day trip....the Berberini gardens are so calm and serene and much better to visit than the Vatican Gardens...........only two words of caution...when you take the train for the 45 minute trip...make sure 1) you get to Termini station early and review the station board every minute to make sure the #platform for the right train...and if its a larger platform number like #25, you need to hoof it to the platform to make the train...2) the stop for Castel Gandolfo is small small, its unmanned! our train had MANUAL opening exit doors....they did not open at this train stop so make sure you physically open the doors to get out when the train stops-or you will stuck at the next/last train stop trying to get back...

The town itself is very calm and contained, with fantastic views over the lake. It has a number of architecturally interesting buildings and is just lovely to walk around in and enjoy. I particularly loved visiting the Papal Gardens which are stunning! And food in Castel Gandolfo is certainly something not be missed.

I had dinner on the lake at a lovely restaurant & then we drove down the street to the Castel Gandolfo. This has been known as the Pope's summer residence . It was where Pope Benedict was staying while awaiting renovation on the grounds in the Vatican Gardens of his new residence. Castel Gandolfo is like a city unto itself. The Swiss Guard was there & the white flag was flying, indicating the Pope was in residence. Very exciting!

We took the day out from rome to a sweet town near by for a break from the buzz of it all. And this was a good choice i think :) on the train into the town you get lovely views of lake albano . Its very beautiful and extremely italian. cobbled streets, and very picture perfect. A truly lovely day out and cheap to get to! would definatley reccomemd it.

A very picturesque village high on a hill overlooking the lake Lago Albano. We parked in the free car park on the main road (SS216) overlooking the countryside away from the lake and then walked up the short steep hill and into the village. Very peaceful place, nice small square with church, places to eat and tourist shops. Dont miss it.

This is a lovely small town just a short drive from central Rome. The central piazza is home to the Pope's summer palace and there are lovely street cafés and restaurants where you can sit and enjoy the atmosphere.