The popes' summer palace hasn't always been open to the public. It was only in 2016 that Pope Francis opened up the private quarters, where previous pontiffs lived out their everyday lives.
For nearly ten years now, visitors have been able to see the rooms where official activities took place, such as the Consistory Hall, the Throne Room, and the Swiss Room.
As well as the private chambers on the second floor, like the pope’s bedroom, private chapel, library, and study.
It’s a palace steeped in history. Pope Pius XII sheltered around 2,000 war refugees at Castel Gandolfo, many of them Jewish.
SANDRO BARBAGALLO, Vatican Museums
He welcomed people with special circumstances into his private apartment, including all women who were in late stages of pregnancy. During the nine months he hosted these people, more than 40 babies were born in his bed. They were named Eugenio, after Pius XII's real name, Eugenio Pacelli, and became known as 'the Pope’s children.
Pope Pius XII eventually died at Castel Gandolfo on October 9, 1958, but he wasn't the only one.Years later, on August 6, 1978, Pope Paul VI also passed away in the same papal residence.
But beyond being a palace, the site holds other curiosities. It houses an astronomical observatory, which used to be located in the Vatican. However, it was moved to Castel Gandolfo by Pius XI, who sought a location farther from the city to improve sky observations.
And from there, moments of history were captured. One of them was in 1969 when Pope Paul VI watched the Apollo 11 moon landing live from Castel Gandolfo.
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