Friday June 14, 2024 – Civitavecchia (for Rome)
The ship docked Starboard to Dock in this very busy port (it can handle 8 cruise ships on the same day) which is both a commercial (container) as well as cruise port. Located 1 hour North—West of Rome it is the harbour of Rome. Today, though, as both of us have been to Rome several times, we boarded coach 10, greeted Adrianna, a pleasant guide who enjoyed chatting with the driver Claudio more than telling us what was going on, but did what was necessary, and headed to an exclusive tour of Castel Gandolfo – the town known for the summer residence of the Popes. Under usual circumstances, as most Popes use the palace and gardens as their private retreat, it is closed to the public and no-one, but invited Papal guests can enter. However Pope Francis, a Jesuit, decided that he was not going to use it, so would open initially just the gardens to small tour groups. As you may recall, the Prior Pope Benedict XVI (aka Cardinal Ratzinger) abdicated / resigned his position as Pope (on February 28, 2013) and Pope Francis was elected. The then ex-Pope, lived full time at the Castel Gandolfo residence. Eventually he moved back to the Vatican and lived out his days there. At which point, the first, and more public, floor of the summer residence was opened to small tours. Eventually all was opened to tours even the private bedroom, chapel and other personal rooms. When the next Pope is elected, it may all be closed up again so we were very fortunate and honored that we had the privilege of going through the entire garden and buildings, even some rooms that are normally locked, like the private chapel, we were fortunate that the guard allowed us to visit.
A truly remarkable day that allowed time to wander through the small town, have a coffee in the main square, attend, vicariously, a wedding and enjoy a delicious lunch overlooking the center of a volcano that is a very deep and beautiful Lake Albano and surroundings, on a picture perfect, sunny day.
Having now, given away the ending of the story of the day, let’s return to explore the various elements a bit further. The town with some 9,000 residents is 25 Kilometers South-East of Rome, situated in the Annan hills overlooking Lake Albano and close to the nearby town of Nemi with it’s lake of the same name, visible from Castel Gandolfo. It was likely the location of Alba Longa, capital of the Latin League (a group of some 30 villages that joined together from about 338 BCE and gave rise to Rome). The Duke Gandolfi from Genoa built a fortification here which passed to the Apostolic Camera (Papal Treasury) / Holy See in 1596 under Pope Clement VIII who was the first to come to Castel Gandolfo. However, it was the work under Pope Urban VIII (1626) who converted it to a residence. During the Napoleonic wars anti-French dissidents took refuge there and during World War II, Pope Pius XII opened the grounds to refugees escaping from the fighting. Eventually some 12,000 took refuge there as it was protected from the attack by Mussolini and Hitler, being property of the neutral Holy See, not part of Italy.
The property covers some 135 acres of which 75 are still farmland, which Pope Francis, given his conviction of a healthy planet, insists on sustainable farming. The gardens likewise are maintained ecologically. The gardens themselves are extensive and are mostly of Italian design with hedges, Umbrella trees, shapes of greenery, but few flowers. They are spectacular and much of the formal garden was designed by Lorenzo Bernini. They are extensive so we were a group of 15 people on a coach that were driven around the main areas for 45 minutes. Subsequently we had 45 minutes to visit the town and then we were able to enter the Papal Palace itself and see the garden with the incredible views overlooking the lake and all the way to Rome and the Ocean. If one looked carefully in the right direction, one could see the dome of St. Peter’s Church in the Vatican in Rome. Also visible from the garden is the Celestial Vatican Observatory founded by Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585).
Entering the building, the lower floor is more of a museum with robes and other artifacts in glass cases. The middle floor, which has the “ceremonial” rooms, where people waited for an audience with the pope, or larger rooms for functions with a larger number of people. The upper floor, with great views out of the windows, is the private floor of the Pope, with bedroom, writing rooms, private chapels, TV room, music room etc. It was so overwhelming to see and be in this space where the Popes walked and lived and will probably do once again. We were fortunate that the guards, allowed us into some of the locked rooms that are usually closed to most tours. It was all a true experience that we were very fortunate to have been permitted to experience. The pictures do much more than my words, so I will let them “do the talking”!
After this amazing experience, we were taken to an outstanding restaurant overlooking the lake called the 1882 Antico Ristorante Pagnanelli, where we had Fettuccini with Dandelion, Smoked Buffalo Mozzarella, Pine Nuts and Zucchini; followed by Ravioli stuffed with Ricotta and Borage with Grana Cheese and Pistachio; Farinaccio Strudel with Buffalo Mozzarela, Eggplant with Parmesan Cheese, Wild Salad with Apple and Balsamic Vinegar, Spelt with Chicory and Pecorino Cheese; a variety of deserts; Coffee and White Wine. A perfect end to the day with gorgeous sunshine overlooking a spectacular lake. This is good living. We then boarded the coach and returned to the port. We were late so only had some 15 minutes to board the ship before the “All Aboard” time. In the evening we attended the show which featured Jennifer Tierney, with a truly spectacular voice singing show tunes and more. All in all a day that was so perfect, so fortunate, so privileged, it will long live in our memory.
Roger & Anne Travels 