Rome: Pontifical Villa Gardens at Castel Gandolfo Minibus – Rome, Italy

EXPERIENCE:

Explore the 55-hectare gardens of the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo by open minibus. Listen to the audio guide as you roam the gardens to learn all their secrets.

Meet your greeter in the Palazzo before starting your tour. Climb aboard the eco-friendly minibus to discover the Castel Gandolfo gardens. See tree-lined avenues, flowers, fountains, and statues. Admire views of the sapphire blue and emerald green waters of Lake Albano.

Take in the remains of Emperor Domitian’s residence. Find out all there is to know about the Popes, including which pontiff installed a swimming pool and which one laid low in Castel Gandolfo for months after handing in his resignation.

You can upgrade your minibus tour of the gardens. Choose from a visit to the papal apartments or lunch in the papal gardens.

In the Pope’s summer residence, discover five hundred years of papal history in the apartments. Wander from the bedroom to the private chapel and from the library to the studio. Gaze at the balcony from which the Popes pronounced the Angelus every summer Sunday.

Or, enjoy a lunch of traditional foods in the garden picnic area. Tuck into a porchetta or vegetarian sandwich, bottled water, a wine or beer, and typical wine biscuits.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Visit the fairy-tale villa where popes have come to escape the hustle and bustle of the Vatican since the 17th century
Tour beautiful gardens built into the ruins of Emperor Domitian’s own 2,000 year-old country residence
Listen to the audio guide to learn delightfully peculiar stories about the many popes who used the villas as their sanctum

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