“Lord of the Rings” fans often get excited when they hear the name “Castel Gandolfo”.
Because it sounds very much like “Gandalf”, the legendary wizard of Tolkien's trilogy.
I hate to disappoint them, but the truth is that the 12 th century noble family after which the
castle takes its name, were the “Gandolfi” - not the “Gandalfi”. One little vowel can go a
long way, especially in Italian.
Castel Gandolfo is best known as the pope's summer residence. Well, at least it is now.
Throughout the 12-year papacy of Pope Francis, it was an optional tourist attraction, open
by appointment to groups willing to make the one-hour drive outside Rome for a guided
visit through the gardens and papal apartments – a privilege made possible by Pope
Francis, especially since he never spent any time there himself.
His successor, Pope Leo XIV, has resumed the tradition of attempting to escape the Roman
heat by retreating to the cooler environs of Castel Gandolfo which sits conveniently high
on a breeze-kissed hilltop overlooking spectacular views of Lake Albano below.
Location is everything, they say. And if anyone understood the value of prime real estate it
was the Ancient Romans. The Emperor Domitian built a sumptuous villa on this very spot
in the 1 st century AD. The ruins, which include an amphitheater, can still be seen within the
grounds of the Papal Palace. Since then, a litany of popes has followed his example,
inviting some of the most renowned artists of their day to embellish and enhance their
papal property – which technically goes under the very grand title of “The Pontifical Villas”.
But this is the kind of information you can find for yourself on Wikipedia. So, why waste
your time with a “Vatican Confidential” unless it allows you to discover something that’s,
well, really “confidential”? Of course, you’d need to know someone who knew someone
who could tell you secret stories about Castel Gandolfo that no one else could tell you…
Lucky for you then that I worked in Vatican Communications for over 40 years. Some of
the very people who ran the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo told me stories of how
Pope St. John Paul II, who spent as much time there as he could, used to have his desk
carried out into the garden so he could write, what would be some of his greatest
encyclicals, beneath the trees. By contrast, Pope Benedict XVI, would close the shutters of
his study window and write some of his most brilliant theological reflections indoors and
by candlelight – because it helped him concentrate, he said.
Few people know that the Villa at Castel Gandolfo includes a swimming pool. It was
especially built for the 58-year-old, keep-fit John Paul II in the early 1980’s. When some
fiscally-minded cardinals objected, the Pope is said to have responded: “It’s definitely
cheaper than another conclave”! The paparazzi went crazy trying to get a picture of him in
his swimsuit. They knew it would be worth a fortune. The picture. Not the swimsuit.
Finally, if you ever get to shop at the Vatican supermarket (yes, there is such a thing, but
that’s another story), you’ll find cartons of milk labeled “Pontifical Villas”. The milk is
produced by the papal cows on the papal farm at… Castel Gandolfo.
And, take my word for it, that’s no papal bull.
