Castel Gandolfo
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Photo: George McFinnigan From Italian Wikipedia (uploaded by Gaucho), CC BY-SA 3.0 
Photo: Mac, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Photo: Deblu68, Public domain 
Photo: Berthold Werner, Public domain 
Photo: Gugganij, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Photo: Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Gugganij, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Photo: Deblu68, Public domain 
Photo: Deblu68, Public domain 
Photo: Deblu68, Public domain 
Photo: Deblu68, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Photo: Gino il Pio, Public domain 
Photo: Edoardo Scialis, CC BY-SA 4.0
Popes have spent their summers here since 1626, in the Apostolic Palace that now also opens to visitors as a museum. The town stands on a hilltop above Lake Albano, a volcanic crater with small beaches of dark volcanic sand and a shore you can walk all the way round. On Piazza della Libertà, Bernini designed the collegiate church of San Tommaso da Villanova.
Highlights
- The Apostolic Palace, papal summer residence, with its Secret Garden open to visitors
- Bernini's collegiate church of San Tommaso da Villanova (IT)
- A walk round Lake Albano, with woodland stretches and swimming from volcanic-sand beaches
- The Roman outlet tunnel of the lake and the remains of Domitian's villa
- The feast of San Sebastiano on the first weekend of September
Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.
Population: 8,564
Things to see
Travel guide (Wikivoyage)
Castel Gandolfo is a city in the province of Rome. It is in the area southeast of Rome known as the Castelli Romani and is mainly known as the summer residence of the Pope. It overlooks the 10-km circumference of Lake Albano, an extinct volcanic crater, which is a popular destination for Romans on summer weekends and has many restaurants. Castel Gandolfo is part of the “Dan Brown” tour, having featured in the book The Da Vinci Code.
Nearby member villages
- Nemi · 6.2 km
- Castel San Pietro Romano · 23 km
- Capranica Prenestina · 28 km
- Subiaco · 43 km
- Percile · 44 km