Castel Gandolfo

Castel Gandolfo
Comune
Città di Castel Gandolfo
The town of Castel Gandolfo overlooking Lake Albano
Coat of arms
Castel Gandolfo Location of Castel Gandolfo in Italy
Coordinates:
Country	Italy
Region	Lazio
Province / Metropolitan city	Rome
Frazioni	Mole di Castel Gandolfo, Pavona
Government
• Mayor	Maurizio Colacchi (May 2002‒present)
Elevation	426 m (1,398 ft)
Population (2008)
• Total	8,834
Demonym(s)	Castellani
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	00040
Dialing code	06
Patron saint	St. Sebastian (San Sebastiano)
Saint day	January 20
Website	Official website

Castel Gandolfo (Italian pronunciation: [kaˈstɛl ɡanˈdɔlfo; -ˈdolfo]; Latin: Castrum Gandulphi; colloquially Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects) is a town located 15 miles (24 kilometres) southeast of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. Occupying a height on the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo has a population of approximately 8,834 residents and is considered one of Italy's most scenic towns.

Within the town's boundaries lies the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo which serves as a summer residence and vacation retreat for the pope, the leader of the Catholic Church. Although the palace is located within the borders of Castel Gandolfo, it has extraterritorial status as one of the properties of the Holy See and is not under Italian jurisdiction.

The resort community includes almost the whole coastline of Lake Albano which is surrounded by many summer residences, villas, and cottages built during the 17th century. It houses the Stadio Olimpico that staged the rowing events during the Rome Olympics.

Castel Gandolfo has several places of archaeological interest including the Emissario del Lago Albano and the remains of the Villa of Domitian. The area is included within the boundaries of the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani (Regional Park of Castelli Romani). There are also many points of artistic interest, such as the Collegiate Church of St. Thomas of Villanova, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Geography

Territory

The boundaries of the town extend obliquely in a north-northeast turn around the hilly area of the Alban Hills and the plains of Agro Romanus. It is included and protected by the Regional Park of Castelli Romani, formed in 1984. Most of the soil is of volcanic origin, with prevalence of materials such as tuff and pozzolana. Its seismic classification is rated a Zone 2 (medium-high seismicity)

Hydrography

The main water body is Lake Albano, often called Lake Castel Gandolfo. The province of Rome currently manages the lake. Up to 1802, it was the property of the Abbey of Saint Nilus Grottaferrata, the Apostolic Camera (Catholic Church Financial Administration) and then owned by Prince Stanislaus Poniatowski in 1870.

Lake Albano

Topography

The maximum elevation registered in the territory is 425 metres (1,394 ft) above sea level, at the Collegio di Propaganda Fide adjoining Villa Barberini. On the crown of the hills around the Lake Albano, the elevation is only 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level, at the summit of Monte Cucco, bordering Marino.

Towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, the land slopes gently, so from 250 metres (820 ft) from the Casale Santa Cristina, below Castel Savello bordering Albano, goes to 217 metres (712 ft) above sea level at Colle Lilli, to 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level at Pozzo di Valle, to 155 metres (509 ft) Quarto Santa bordering Marino, to 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level of the Laghetto di Turno. The lowest elevation of the territory is 101 metres (331 ft) above sea level at the village of Pavona.

Climate

In terms of climate, the area falls within the domain of the temperate Mediterranean climate with mild winters, autumn temperatures higher than those of spring and ventilated summers. In the area of Colli Albani, and at Castel Gandolfo, the phenomenon known as stau, which is the reduction of water vapor in the clouds as the ground rises can be observed. Summers are hot and dry, while winter is mild and rainy without, in general, extreme low temperatures and snow. In summer, temperatures can reach 35 °C (95 °F) with peaks of 37 °C (99 °F) in rare cases. Climate classification: Zone D, 1966 GR / G .

Etymology

The name "Castel Gandolfo" is derived from the Latin Castrum Gandulphi, the name of the castle on this site was presumably owned by the family of Gandolfi, originally from Genoa. Another hypothesis, supported by Pope Pius II in his commentary (1462), is that the name results from Gandulphi Sabinorum, from a certain Gandolfo Savelli.

History

Ancient (3000 BC‒476 AD)

Archaeological findings from the 16th century BC have been found in the area of what is now Castel Gandolfo.

Near the site of the modern Castel Gandolfo there stood in pre-Roman age, the famous Alba Longa, capital of the Latin League, a city founded, according to legend, by Ascanius, the son of Aeneas.

Painting by Sylvester Shchedrin (c.1825)

Many historians and scholars have speculated that the site of the city’s acropolis was exactly the site of the modern town of Castel Gandolfo, but since the 19th century, the best hypothesis is that the settlement was on the opposite side of the Lake Albano, between the towns Costa Caselle Marino and locality Palazzolo di Rocca di Papa. Alba Longa was destroyed by the Romans after a war in 658 BC.

In 396 BC, the Romans dug the Emissario (canal) del Lago Albano, in order to fulfill a prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi regarding the Battle of Veii.

Between the Republican age, and the Imperial Age, and the opening of the Appian Way, many patrician summer residences were established starting with the Villa of Clodius at Ercolano, attributed to Publius Clodius Pulcher at which Clodius himself was assassinated in 54 BC. The biggest villa was the Villa of Domitian at Castel Gandolfo, a large complex that partly enclosed Villa Barberini, and embraced a large territory that included Lake Albano and numerous imperially owned buildings. The imperial villa, which fell into disuse after the construction of Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, was then called Massa Caesariana, and much later eventually became the property of the Holy See, was added to the Patrimonium Appiae (See Patrimonium Sancti Petri).

Medieval (476‒1604)

The territory of Castel Gandolfo, including the Massa Caesariana, became the property of the Counts of Tusculum and in the early 11th century became part of the Abbey of San Nilo Grottaferrata. The Gandolfi family of Lombard origin from Genoa erected the Castrum, which still bears their name. In 1221, the castle became the possession of the Savelli family; In 1482, Pope Sixtus IV granted the ownership of Castel Gandolfo to the community of Velletri, which had been damaged by the Savellis. Pope Sixtus V elevated Castel Gandolfo to the level of Duchy in favor of Bernardino Savelli. However, due to the insolvency of the Savelli Duchy in the payment of huge debts, the property returned to the Apostolic Camera on 30 June 1596. Pope Clement VIII then included the castle in the list of goods of the Holy See that could not be sold.

Early Modern (1604‒1870)

The Pontifical College of St. Thomas of Villanova in Liberty Piazza

Under the new government of the Apostolic Camera, Pope Paul V started major public works. Works included starting a water pipeline to the castle from the heights of Malafitto and Palazzolo as well as the founding of a Reformed Franciscans monastery in 1619. Pope Urban VIII in 1628 was the first Pope to stay in Castel Gandolfo. The first Papal Bull issued by a pope from Castel Gandolfo was also written by Pope Urban VIII on 25 October 1626.

At the time of Pope Alexander VII (1655–1667), new public works were initiated, including the road that leads up to the Palazzolo paralleling the crags of the Lake Albano, called in ancient Via Alessandrina. Other works include the accommodations of the Pontifical Palace (1660) and the construction of the Collegiate Church of St. Thomas of Villanova (1658–1661) by architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini and the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta in nearby Ariccia Chigi.

On 24 September 1728, the Castel Gandolfo government was given pro tempore by Pope Benedict XIII in the Bull Aequitatis Maggiordomo of Sacred Palaces. Pope Benedict XIV (1740–1758) made frequent visits to Castel Gandolfo, overseeing construction of the Papal Palace main façade bell tower and widened the road that leads to Marino, now State Route 216.

After the French seized Rome in February 1798, they established the Repubblica Albanense, which included the towns Albano Laziale, Frascati, Velletri, and Marino. In this case, Castel Gandolfo was joined to the city of Albano, but on 21 February 1798, Castel Gandolfo rose up against the French along with other inhabitants of the Castelli Romani. During the Napoleonic Wars, some 900 anti-French citizens of neighboring Velletri held out in Castel Gandolfo, resisting the siege by Joachim Murat. On 24 February 1798, the counter-revolutionaries were defeated by the French in the Battle of Frattocchie resulting in the sacking of the Papal Palace.

With the return of Pope Pius VII, Castel Gandolfo was returned to the Maggiordomo dei Sacri Palazzi (Government of the Sacred Palaces) and this lasted until September 1870. According to tradition, the first mailbox in the world can be found in Freedom Square.

Italian unification to the present (1870‒present)

On 20 September 1870, the Papal States effectively ended with the taking of Porta Pia and the entrance of militiamen in Rome. Pope Pius IX, who had left Castel Gandolfo in May 1869 was the last pope to set foot in the Papal Palace until 1929.

On 11 February 1929 with the publication of the Lateran Pacts, Benito Mussolini granted the nascent State of Vatican City possession of the Papal Palace with adjacent houses for a total of 45 hectares (110 acres). In 1933 the Vatican Observatory was moved from the Vatican because of too much artificial light in Rome and installed at Castel Gandolfo. In January 2008, it was announced that, due to the deterioration of visibility in the Castelli Romani, the center would be moved to the United States of America.

The 22 January 1944, an invasion by British and American forces at Anzio brought the Castelli Romani to the forefront of clashes during the Second World War. On 1 February 1944, Ariccia and Albano Laziale were bombed resulting in the loss of 16 people and the destruction of the local convent of Poor Clares. On 2 February 1944, Marino was hit and suffered several hundred victims. On 10 February 1944, bombs struck the College of Propaganda Fide causing 500 civilian deaths. The Pontifical Villas served some 12,000 refugee children and 40 births during the war.

On 19 September 1994, Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro granted to the town of Castel Gandolfo the title of City.

Points of interest

Religious architecture

Cupola of Bernini's Parish Church in Castel Gandolfo, Italy

• The parish church, dedicated to St. Thomas of Villanova was designed by Bernini (1658–1661) on the order of the Chigi Pope Alexander VII, it has a square Greek key cross plan and houses a notable painting by Pietro da Cortona portraying Christ's crucifixion.
• Church of Our Lady of the Lake, wanted personally by Pope Paul VI, was consecrated by the same pope in 1977 on the shores of Lake Albano.
• Church of Santa Maria Assunta, construction began in 1619 with the consecration of the first stone by Pope Paul V.
• Church of Santa Maria, modern construction, situated in the populous district of Borgo San Paolo near State Road 7 Via Appia, the Ugo Bazzi theater adjoins the church.
• Church of San Sebastiano, dedicated to the patron saint of the city and located on State Road 7 Via Appia adjacent to the church cemetery.
• Church of Santa Maria Della Cona.

Civil architecture

The façade of the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo

• The Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence, is a 17th-century building designed by Carlo Maderno for Pope Urban VIII. The papal palace, and the adjoining Villa Barberini that was added to the complex by Pius XI have enjoyed extraterritorial rights since the signature of the 1929 treaty with Italy; the little piazza directly in front was renamed Piazza della Libertà in the first flush of Italian unity after 1870. The Papal Palace remained unused from 1870 until 1929.
• Cybo Villa, built by Cardinal Camillo Cibo, was annexed to the whole of the Pontifical Villas at the time of Pope Clement XIV who purchased it in 1774 from the owner at the time, Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena, for the sum of 80,000 crowns.
• Villa Barberini, built by the nephew of Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini), was incorporated in the extraterritorial complex of the Pontifical Villas in 1929: the manor houses the headquarters of the College of Propaganda Fide. As part of its extensive formal gardens is located the existing remains of the complex built by the Roman Emperor Domitian.
• Villa Santa Caterina, currently owned by the Pontifical North American College. During the construction of this villa, situated in the Herculaneum area, the Roman ruins of the villa attributed to Publius Clodius Pulcher were discovered.
• Villa Torlonia, built in the 16th century by the Roman family of the Giustiniani, then passed into ownership of the Duke of Bracciano Giuseppe Torlonia. The current appearance is due to the restoration of 1829, funded by Duke Carlo Torlonia. The villa has a beautiful landscape on the Agro Romano.
• Villa Chigi built by Cardinal Flavio Chigi, nephew of Pope Alexander VII; today it is home to a golf course.
• The two telescopes of the Vatican Observatory, which were moved from Rome to Castel Gandolfo in the 1930s, were still used until the 1980s. The headquarters of the Vatican Observatory is still located in Castel Gandolfo. However, its dependent research center, the Vatican Observatory Research Group (VORG), is hosted by Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona, Tucson, United States. The telescopes are located in Mt. Graham, Arizona.

Archaeological sites

• The site of the papal palace: rebuilt on the ruins of the former castle, partly occupies the foundations of a summer residence of the Emperor Domitian that occupied 14 square kilometres (5.4 sq mi). The residence was designed by the famous architect Rabirius. In the palace's inner courtyard is a Roman bust depicting Polyphemus, the Cyclops from whose cave Ulysses escaped; it was found in the nymphaeum of the Imperial villa's gardens, an artificially constructed grotto of the crater lake's outlet.

A view of Castel Gandolfo from the commune of Albano Laziale

• Villa of Publius Clodius Pulcher: the remains of a Roman villa located on the Appian Way, 23 kilometres (14 mi) of National Road 7 Via Appia, inside the Villa Santa Caterina, owned by the Pontifical North American College.
• The Bergantino or bath of Diana nymphaeum: on the western shores of the Lake Albano, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) after the Doric nymphaeum, this structure, originally annexed to the Domitian Villa at Castel Gandolfo, opens in a circular cave of 17 metres (56 ft) in diameter. There is a bath in the middle of the cave, and the floor was completely covered with mosaics, of which a few fragments remain. Various parts of sculptural groups now kept at the Pontifical Palace in Castel Gandolfo have been found in the nymphaeum.
• Emissario Lake Albano: an artificial conduit of runoff water 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) long that runs from the West coast of Lake Albano and leads into Castel Gandolfo locations; according to tradition, built in 396 BC to fulfil a prophecy during the conquest of Veii.

Education

Castel Gandolfo does not host secondary schools, but within the municipal area lie a private kindergarten run by the Paul VI Pontifical Municipal School, which is primary and secondary level. Finally, there are the Scuola Media Statale "Dante Alighieri" and other religious institutions, which deal with primary education.

Walsh University, which has its main campus in North Canton, Ohio, United States, holds a small campus in Castel Gandolfo. Classes are held in the fall, spring and summer for Walsh students.

Art

Castel Gandolfo by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1826)

Video games

Castel Gandolfo has also recently been portrayed in the video games Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, in which the castle is a multiplayer map location.

Notable citizens

• Luigi Centusione (Genoa 1686‒Castel Gandolfo 1757), priest and religious authority, 17th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (30 November 1755‒2 October 1757)
• Massimo d'Azeglio (Torino 1798‒1866), statesman and diarist
• Pietro Savorgnan di Brazzà (Castel Gandolfo 1852 – Dakar 1905), explorer of the Congo River and founder of Brazzaville (1880), capital of the Republic of Congo, was an official of the French colonial government in Equatorial Africa
• Rubi Dalma (Milano 1906‒Castel Gandolfo 1994), actress
• Achille Serra (Roma 1941), lawman, writer, and prefect of Rome from 2003 to 2007 and senator; was an honorary citizen of Castel Gandolfo on 18 January 2007

Events

• The feast of the patron saint, St. Sebastian (San Sebastiano) is celebrated on the first weekend of September, though the feast of this saint is marked on the calendar on 20 January; the festival concludes with fireworks over the lake.
• The village celebrates St. Paul and St. Mary Ausiliatrice the last Sunday of May.
• The local market takes place on Friday morning.
• Festival of Peaches, held on the last Sunday of July with organized cultural, entertainment, and sporting events.
• March for Peace, established by Municipal Statute in the month of January of each year.
• Premio "Città di Castel Gandolfo", a prize to personalities, bodies, and associations that bring the city prestige and better quality of life or have distinguished themselves in any branch of culture, sport, or human knowledge.
• Castel Gandolfo Fotografia, photography competition established in 2007.

Human geography

Urban

The original nucleus of living of the city is the Papal Palace, which was the ancient Castrum Gadulphorum, the stronghold of the family Gandolfi, and the Collegiate Church of St. Thomas, which occupies the area of the ancient parish church of San Michele. This core is now occupied by the Piazza della Libertà, true heart of the historic centre.

The main artery of the historic center is Corso della Repubblica, which continues to Albano Laziale through the Galleria di Sopra. Other routes parallel this road including the Papal Palace and the panoramic Via della Saponara, overlooking Lake Albano.

The new expansion of Castel Gandolfo has started since the beginning of the 20th century, first near the State Road 216 Maremmana III, then with the birth of the Borgo San Paolo a little further downstream, with the work of several cooperatives that have all that urbanized the area along State Road 7 Via Appia.

The urbanization of Pavona at the castle is also recent and follows State Road 207 Nettunense and Provincial Road 101/a Via Colonnelle.

A photo of Piazza della Libertà ("Freedom Square"), the main square in Castel Gandolfo, taken from the door of the Papal Palace

Frazioni

Recent Population Trends
1982	6122
1985	6365
1990	6629
1995	7220
2000	7979
2001	7930
2002	7925
2003	8108
2004	8539
2005	8592
2006	8643
2007	8619

Pavona was centered around a tavern on the way to Nettuno and the villa of Cardinal Flavio Chigi (1631–1693), nephew of Pope Alexander VII. The place was urbanized during the 20th century, thanks to the opening of the railway Roma-Velletri, and today is divided between the municipalities of Castel Gandolfo, Albano Laziale and Rome. The part castle, known as Pavona Pond due to the above-named for Round Pond, has about 3,000 inhabitants and has as its patron saint St. Eugene III of Toledo.

Mole di Castel Gandolfo, divided in part by the town of Albano Laziale, owe their name to the presence in the place of ancient mass fed by the waters of the Emissary of Lake Albano, which were used until the 19th century by the inhabitants of Castel Gandolfo and Albano Laziale to crush the grain.

Administration

• Mayor: Maurizio Colacchio (Lista Civica) from 29 May 2007 (currently serving 2nd term)
• Telephone: +39 06 9359181

Economy

Agriculture

In all the municipalities in the Alban Hills, agriculture, and particularly wine production, has always been the main economic voice and employer. Notable wines include the Frascati, the Marino, the Velletri and the Colli Lanuvini.

The production of wine, and vanished era of small farmers is maintained by major producers such as Cantina Sociale Gotto d'Oro of Marino and Frascati, which is based in the nearby town of Castelluccia, and the Wine Cellar Social Albano Laziale and Ariccia, based in Fontana di Papa.

Services

Municipal Statute prohibits installation of equipment and systems, fixed telecommunication and radio devices, particularly equipment for radio, television and mobile telephony, and systems for radio amateurs. This prohibition is exempt for military installations, civil protection and forest protection.

Most services such as hospitals or cinemas are based outside the city in larger centers like Marino, Frascati, Albano Laziale and Genzano di Roma. However, these centres are all reached by car or public transport. In return, the city is commercially very lively, thanks to the continuous influx of Italian tourists and foreigners linked to the presence of the Papal Palace and, at certain times of the Pope.

Tourism

Thoroughfare in Castel Gandolfo

Aquatic facilities on Lake Albano

Castel Gandolfo is undoubtedly the most popular tourist town of Castelli Romani. In fact, regular groups of Italian and foreign tourists utilize all of the parking built specifically for tourists. On the occasion of Angelus or the hearings on the Pope during his stay, many foreign pilgrims arrive in town, so that the streets and squares in the center are filled.

Sports

For the 1960 XVII Olympiad held in Rome, the Italian Olympic Committee built the Olympic Stadium and the Federal Center for Canoeing and Kayaking on Lake Albano. At this stage the races were held in this discipline, and even today the Italian Federation of Canoe / Kayak considers this one of its most important training sites.

Canoeing/kayaking

Since 1960, Lake Albano has been used for Olympic competitions for the sport. Currently, the Master Line Canoeing Sports Association, active since 2005, scored important achievements promote the sport. Another school of kayaking is held by the ASD Polisportiva Giovanile Salesiana Castel Gandolfo.

Football/soccer

Castel Gandolfo has had an amateur football/soccer club since 2005 at Oratory Parish St. Thomas of Villanova which organizes friendly matches with other teams in the area.

Golf

In the 1970s, Castel Gandolfo Country Club opened in Pavona. The complex is located in the crater of the ancient dried up lake and in the ancient villa of Cardinal Flavio Chigi.

Rugby

The league includes youth ranging from Under 6 to 16, a senior women's team, a men's and a senior men's team. The latter, formed in 2009, playing in the regional championship of the C series (season 2009/2010).

Twin towns/sister cities

Castel Gandolfo is twinned with the following cities:

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France
• Curepipe, Mauritius

External links

• Official site
• Castel Gandolfo photos
• Dr Hans-Joachim Kracht, "Historic villas overlook Lake Albano" from L'Osservatore Romano
• Photos and visitor information about Castel Gandolfo
• Castel Gandolfo on Google Maps Italy
• Centro Storico di Castel Gandolfo

See also

• Alban Hills
• Pavona