Castel Gandolfo - Papal Palace

Tickets for visiting the town with the popes summer residence

Castel Gandolfo is a small town 25 km southeast of Rome and known for the popes summer residence (Apostolic and Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo). How to book tours and tickets?

Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo

Just 25 kilometers southeast of Rome and easy to reach by train is the small town of Castel Gandolfo. The town with just more than 8,000 inhabitants, which is located on the green Alban Hills, is mainly known for the papal summer residence. The palace is a so-called exclave of the Vatican City. The complex contains the Apostolic Palace, the Villa Cybo, the Villa Barberini and even a small farm.

The Vatican acquired the Castel Gandolfo castle in 1596 as a payment for a debt owed by the Savelli family. The palace was then built in the 17th century at the behest of Pope Urban VIII and was designed by the architect Carlo Maderno. Since then, the palace has been used by many popes as a popes summer residence and has a beautiful view over the lake of Lago Albano (a volcanic crater lake).

^{The Popes Summer Residence}

^{The entrance ofthe Palace of Castel Gandolfo}

Barberini Gardens

According to archaeologists' research, Castel Gandolfo is located exactly where 'Alba Longa' used to be. This was a city in ancient Latium, which often was in fight with Rome. In the Barberini Gardens of the palace, for example, you can still find remains of a villa of the Roman Emperor Domitian. These 30 hectares of gardens are now a place to stroll among the fountains and statues, enjoy the green surroundings or admire the beautiful view over the lake from the terrace.

^{Gardens of the popes summer palace (Source picture: ©Vatican)}

^{Interior of Castel Gandolfo (Source picture: ©Vatican)}

Visit the Papal Palace? - Tours & Tickets

Only a few years ago, Pope Francis (he never uses the pope summer palace himself) has opened the villa and gardens of the palace of Castel Gandolfo to the public. The Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo is now a museum and you can take tours of the palace (including the apartments, the papal portrait gallery and even the private bedroom), the adjacent gardens and admire several pope mobiles. It is a unique opportunity to visit the summer palace, because with a future pope it will be uncertain whether Castel Gandolfo will remain open to the public. Attention: It is only possible to visit the palace of Castel Gandolfo after you have made a reservation of the Castel Gandolfo tour.

Where is the Palace of Castel Gandolfo in Italy?

Castel Gandolfo is a town located in Italy, in the Lazio region. It is located about 25 kilometers southeast of the center of Rome. Castel Gandolfo is located on the shore of Lake Albano, in the Alban Hills (Colli Albani), a volcanic area southeast of Rome. The town is best known as the location of the Pope's summer residences, including the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. It was traditionally the summer residence of the popes and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. The city also has a historic center with narrow streets, squares and beautiful views of Lake Albano. Castel Gandolfo is easy to reach from Rome by train or car.