The Papal Villas of Castel Gandolfo

Above Lake Albano's crater blue, the papal summer estate at Castel Gandolfo - Vatican territory in the Alban Hills - opened its gates to the public in recent years: the Apostolic Palace shows the papal apartments' modest bedrooms and portrait halls, while the Barberini gardens roll parterres, holm-oak avenues and the ruins of Emperor Domitian's villa (the estate's Roman substrate) toward lake and sea horizons, toured on foot or by the garden train. The town outside keeps its papal-village character - fountain square, peaches and porchetta - and the lake below adds swimming-and-rowing afternoons to the excursion.

What's there

• The papal apartments - the summer palace's opened rooms.
• The Barberini gardens - parterres over Domitian's ruins.
• The crater lake - Albano's blue below the terraces.
• The village square - fountain, peaches and papal-town ease.

When to go

April to October for gardens and lake season; weekday mornings tour quietest. The train from Termini makes it an easy half day.

Things to know

The apartments are dignified-modest rather than palatial - the gardens carry the visual glory; combined tickets and timings reward planning via the Museums' site.

Nearby

Lake Albano's shore, Albano Laziale and the Alban Hills towns.