Castel GandolfoCastel Gandolfo (UK: , US: , Italian:; Latin: Castrum Gandulphi), colloquially known as Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects, is a small town located 25 km (16 mi) southeast of Rome, in the Italian region of Lazio. Situated on a hilltop in the Alban Hills with panoramic views of Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo is home to approximately 8,900 residents and is renowned as one of Italy's most scenic towns.
Lake AlbanoLake Albano (Italian: Lago Albano or Lago di Castel Gandolfo) is a small volcanic crater lake in the Alban Hills of Lazio, at the foot of Monte Cavo, 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Rome. Castel Gandolfo, overlooking the lake, is the site of the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo. It hosted the canoeing and rowing events of the 1960 Summer Olympic Games that were held in Rome. The lane marking system developed for these events is commonly referred to as the Albano buoy system.
Lake NemiLake Nemi (Italian: Lago di Nemi, Latin: Nemorensis Lacus, also called Diana's Mirror, Latin: Speculum Dianae) is a small circular volcanic lake in the Alban Hills 30 km (19 mi) south of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. It takes its name from Nemi, the largest town in the area, which overlooks it from a height. It was formed in an ancient volcanic crater created at least 36,000 years ago. The lake is famous for its great sunken Roman ships built under Caligula.
Ancient RomeIn modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC), the Roman Republic (509–27 BC), and the Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD) until the fall of the western empire.
Colonna familyThe House of Colonna is a prominent Italian family, forming part of the papal nobility. It played a pivotal role in medieval and RenaissanceRome, supplying one pope (Martin V), 23 cardinals and many other church and political leaders. Other notable family members are Vittoria Colonna, close friend of Michelangelo, Marcantonio II Colonna (Marcantonio Colonna), leader of the papal fleet in the Battle of Lepanto (1571) and Costanza Colonna, patron and protector of Caravaggio.
Orsini familyThe House of Orsini is an Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in Medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Stephen II (752–757), Paul I (757–767), Celestine III (1191–1198), Nicholas III (1277–1280), and Benedict XIII (1724–1730). The family also included 34 cardinals, numerous condottieri, and other significant political and religious figures.
Italian languageRomance languageItalian (italiano, pronounced, or lingua italiana, pronounced) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It is a standardised form of literary Florentine Tuscan and, together with Sardinian, is the least differentiated language from Latin. Current estimates indicate that between 68 and 85 million people speak Italian, including approximately 64 million native speakers as of 2024.
Alban HillsThe Alban Hills (Italian: Colli Albani) are the caldera remains of a quiescent volcanic complex in Italy, located 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Rome and about 24 km (15 mi) north of Anzio. The 950 m (3,120 ft) high Monte Cavo forms a highly visible peak in the centre of the caldera, but the highest point is Maschio delle Faete approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) to the east of Cavo and 6 m (20 ft) taller.
RomeCapital and largest city of ItalyCapital city and comune in ItalyRome is the capital and largest city of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazioregion and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A specia municipality named Roma Capitale with a population of 2.7 million in an area of 1,287.36 km (497.1 mi), Rome is the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits.
Metropolitan City of Rome CapitalMetropolitan City of Rome Capital (Italian: città metropolitana di Roma Capitale) is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Lazio region of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Rome and 120 other comuni (sing.: comune) in the hinterland of the city. With a population of 4,224,901, it is the largest metropolitan city in Italy as of 2026.
ComuneA comune (pronounced; pl.: comuni, pronounced) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions (regioni) and provinces (province). The comune can also have the title of città (lit.'city'). Formed praeter legem according to the principles consolidated in medieval municipalities, the comune is provided for by article 114 of the Constitution of Italy.Latium VetusLatium Vetus or Latium Antiquum (English: Old Latium) is a region of the Italian Peninsula bounded to the north by the Tiber River, to the east by the central Apennine Mountains, to the west by the and to the south by Monte Circeo. It was the territory of the Latins, an Italic tribe which included the early inhabitants of the city of Rome. Later it was also settled by various Italic tribes such as the Rutulians, Volscians, Aequi, and Hernici.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.