Castel Gandolfo?

[Pauline]

Friends of ours are doing an Italy trip that includes a stay in Castel Gandolfo, just south of Rome. All I know is that it is the Pope’s summer residence. We’ve never been there but are hoping to meetup with them there or in Pitigliano (where we have been a few times).

Anyone been to Castel Gandolfo? Opinions?

 

[CKaySF]

Hi Pauline,
We took a day trip to Castel Gandolfo from Rome by train in 2014. We had tickets to a guided tour of the Pope's Gardens arranged through the Vatican Museum. The little town itself is delightful! A wedding was going on and the bride and her father arrived in a Volkswagen convertible! We found a good restaurant with a view of the lake and had a great meal. The tour of the gardens was most memorable, with its ancient ruins, Roman statues and formal gardens. I could post some pictures, if you'd like.

 

[Pauline]

Yes, post some photos!

 

[Sandrac]

Hi Pauline,
I visited for a day in May 2018 on an organized tour from Rome. That's not usually my thing, but a friend works as a tour guide for a large company in Rome and can take a guests on excursions for a very small fee. So I signed up! We visited the village, which is pretty, but the highlight was a tour of the Pope's residence, the gardens and lunch at the Papal Farm. I even bought some Holy Honey from the papal bees (it was excellent).

I've edited to add that starting in 2019 it is not difficult to visit the gardens independently, rather than on a formal tour. Here is the Vatican link for more info and to see when the gardens are closed. Most Sundays as well as some holidays.

While the village is sweet, it is small, perhaps worth a half day at most (including lunch), unless you include a visit to the previously mentioned papal places.

Cheers,
Sandra

 

[CKaySF]

Here are three photos taken in Castel Gandolfo and the Pope's Gardens. 1: The bride and her father arriving in a VW convertible. Her mother was fussing around with the dress, and the bride said. "Tranquille, momma , tranquile"! 2: The Ristorante Bucci in the town overlooking Lago Albano.
3.Just a small part of the gardens. The Pope's residence was not open to us during the tour.