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    Castelli Romani

    Italy

    Castelli Romani

    Point of Interest

    The Castelli Romani are a cluster of towns at the foot of the Alban Hills southeast of Rome.

    by Felix Gillen

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    9. Castelli Romani
    The Castelli Romani are a cluster of towns at the foot of the Alban Hills southeast of Rome. This fertile volcanic landscape, with its two crater lakes of Albano and Nemi, was popular in ancient times with aristocratic Romans due to its cooler summer climate, and later with popes and cardinals, who built villas here and established their summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

    Places of Interest

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    The Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo
    Museum

    1The Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo

    The palace overlooking Lake Albano was designed by Carlo Maderno for Pope Urban VIII, who used it as a summer residence starting in 1626. The extraterritorial complex of the Papal Villas also includes Villa Barberini with its gardens. From 2016 until July 2026, the palace was a museum; since then, it has again served as a summer residence, where Pope Leo XIV spends his summer vacation. Please check which parts can be visited before your visit.
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    Villa Aldobrandini
    Attraction

    2Villa Aldobrandini

    The villa above Frascati dates back to a building from 1550. Pope Clement VIII presented it in 1598 to his nephew Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, who had it redesigned by Giacomo della Porta. The Water Theatre, a large semicircular exedra in the park, is well-known. The interior features works by Taddeo and Federico Zuccari and Domenichino, among others.
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    3Lago di Nemi

    The small, round volcanic lake in the Alban Hills lies about 30 kilometers south of Rome, overlooked by the town of Nemi. From the 6th century BC, the lake and forest were consecrated to the goddess Diana; around 300 BC, a large sanctuary was built. Two magnificent ships from the time of Caligula were recovered from the lake between 1928 and 1932. On the night of June 1, 1944, they were destroyed by fire in the museum where they were exhibited.
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    Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia
    Museum

    4Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia

    The Chigi Family Palace forms the backdrop for the Piazza di Corte in Ariccia, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with Carlo Fontana also contributing to its design. In 1962, Luchino Visconti filmed large parts of his film *The Leopard* here. The Parco Chigi belongs to the palace.
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    Food and Drink

    1

    Fraschetta Ariccia – Osteria

    Simple osteria on Ariccia's Corso, home of porchetta. Typical for a Fraschetta: wooden tables, open house wine from the Castelli, plus a platter of porchetta, salami, cheese, and pickled vegetables.
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    2

    Osteria Fraschetta Trinca

    Small osteria in the old town of Frascati with Roman home-style cooking and local wine – a good stop after visiting Villa Aldobrandini.
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    3

    Ristorante Pagnanelli

    Traditional restaurant in Castel Gandolfo with a terrace high above Lake Albano. The menu features regional fish and meat dishes; its wine cellar, carved into the tuff rock, houses a vast selection. You should reserve for a table with a lake view.
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    Food and Drinks

    Porchetta di Ariccia IGP

    Ariccia roasted pork, with PGI status since 2011. Traditionally eaten with wine in the Fraschette.

    Frascati DOC

    White wine, primarily from Malvasia, including Trebbiano, from Frascati, Grottaferrata, Monte Porzio Catone and neighboring towns.

    Fragoline di Nemi

    Small wild strawberries, Nemi's emblem, celebrated at the Sagra delle Fragole on the first Sunday in June.

    Fraschetta

    A simple wine bar, primarily found in the Castelli Romani, where young wine is served with simple dishes like Porchetta. Formerly, only wine was served; guests brought their own food or bought it from street vendors.

    Culture of the Castelli Romani

    Summer Retreats of Popes and CardinalsEven in ancient Rome, nobles sought the cooler climate of the Alban Hills; popes and cardinals later followed. In Frascati, Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini had his villa expanded from 1598. In Castel Gandolfo, Pope Urban VIII used the new palace as a summer residence from 1626; since July 2026, after a decade as a museum, it has resumed this function.Bernini in AricciaIn Ariccia, Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the Piazza di Corte for the Chigi family, with the Palazzo Chigi forming its scenic backdrop.Wine and FestivalsIn Marino, on the first Sunday of October, the Sagra dell'Uva is celebrated, where fountains dispense wine. In Nemi, the Sagra delle Fragole takes place on the first Sunday of June. In Genzano, since 1778, the Infioratori have laid out a flower carpet of hundreds of thousands of blooms on Via Italo Belardi for Corpus Christi.

    Traveling in the Castelli Romani

    Arrival from RomeRegional trains connect Roma Termini with Frascati and, via the Rome–Albano line, with Castel Gandolfo and Albano Laziale. The remaining towns are accessible by buses of the regional company Cotral.Getting AroundBy car, you can reach several places in a single day. Check current timetables in advance if you're traveling by bus and train.

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    Nearby

    Latium

    Latium

    Latium stretches from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Apennines, with Rome as its capital. Around the capital, you'll find the villas of Tivoli, volcanic lakes like Bolsena, Vico, and Bracciano, Etruscan necropolises, and towns like Civita di Bagnoregio perched on a tufa rock.
    Rome

    Rome

    Rome was traditionally founded in 753 BC, and every era has left its mark: the Colosseum and Roman Forum from antiquity, churches and palaces from the Renaissance, fountains and squares from the Baroque. In the heart of the city lies the Vatican with St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.
    Ostia Antica

    Ostia Antica

    The ruins of Rome's ancient port city lie at the former Tiber mouth, on the Via Ostiense that led here from Rome. Preserved are entire street blocks with residential buildings, baths, warehouses, shops, and mosaics, which reveal much about daily life in a Roman city.
    Viterbo

    Viterbo

    Viterbo was the seat of the Popes for around two decades in the 13th century, and its old town is one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in Central Italy. Stone houses, medieval fountains, and the Papal Palace define its appearance; thermal springs, used by Etruscans and Romans, lie to the west of the city.
    Sperlonga

    Sperlonga

    Sperlonga is located in the Province of Latina, approximately halfway between Rome and Naples, on a promontory overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. To the west, a long sandy beach extends to Terracina; to the east are short beaches and a rocky coast. Sperlonga is renowned for the Grotto in Emperor Tiberius's villa and the sculptures discovered there.

    Sources & method

    • Photos: Unsplash, Google Maps. Each photo carries its credit.
    • Place data such as addresses and ratings comes from Google Maps.
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