Castel Gandolfo

Castel Gandolfo is a small town perched on a hillside that drops steeply toward Lake Albano, near Rome. The old settlement features narrow streets that follow the natural contours of the land, centered around the Church of San Tommaso da Villanova, built in 1661 with a distinctive dome designed by Bernini. The Papal Palace dominates the main square and was constructed in the 1600s on the remains of a Roman villa once associated with Emperor Domitian.

The fortress was founded by the Gandolfi family in the early 1100s and gave its name to the growing settlement. In the 1600s, the town became the summer residence of the popes starting with Pope Urban VIII, who ordered the construction of the Papal Palace on the foundations of Emperor Domitian's ancient Roman villa, establishing a religious significance that lasted for centuries.

The town takes its name from the Gandolfi family, who built a fortress here in the early 1100s. Over centuries, houses grew around this fortress and locals developed a way of life tied to farming grapes, olives, and vegetables on the surrounding land and to the lake's traditions.

The town is small enough to explore on foot, with pathways leading down to the lake and through the historic streets. A walk from the center to the water takes about ten minutes, and local restaurants and cafes are scattered throughout where you can rest and try regional dishes.

In the main square sits one of the world's oldest functioning mailboxes, installed in 1820 to address poor postal service at the time. The fountain on the same square dates to the 1600s and may have been designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, featuring water flowing from a stone basin protected by stone pillars.