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Formal Garden and Lake Nemi south of Rome, Lazio Italy

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Overview

A pretty pocket of verdant hills and volcanic lakes 20km southeast of Rome, the Colli Albani (Alban Hills) and their 13 towns are collectively known as the Castelli Romani. Since ancient times they've provided a green refuge from the city and still today Romans flock to the area on hot summer weekends. Highlights include the famous wine town of Frascati, hilltop Castel Gandolfo and the scenic Lago Albano.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • View of Lake Albano from the town of Castel Gandolfo in the Albano Hills.

    Lago Albano

    Castelli Romani

    The larger and more developed of the Castelli's two volcanic lakes 鈥� the other is Lago di Nemi 鈥� Lago Albano is set in a steeply banked wooded crater. It鈥�

  • The church, the bell tower, and the liturgical fountain "the Paradise" in the Exarchic Monastery of Saint Mary in Grottaferrata, Greek Abbey of Saint Nilus, the last Byzantine-Greek monastery in Italy.

    Abbazia Greca di San Nilo

    Castelli Romani

    Grottaferrata's fortified monastery, the last of the Byzantine-Greek abbeys that once dotted medieval Italy, was founded in 1004. The walls and鈥�

  • Apostolic palace (official residence of reigning pope) in Vatican 1454047372 apostle, square, historic, official, residence, pietro, saint, column, san, piazza, italian, destination, apostolico, apostolic, bernini, papal, catholic, famous, peter, st, building, landmark

    Palazzo Apostolico

    Castelli Romani

    Dominating Castel Gandolfo's skyline, the 17th-century Palazzo Apostolico was the pope's traditional summer residence. However, since 2016 it has been鈥�

  • Palazzo Chigi

    Palazzo Chigi

    Castelli Romani

    Lording it over the small town of Ariccia, this 17th-century palazzo was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for the Chigi family. Its interior, used by鈥�

  • Giardini di Villa Barberini

    Giardini di Villa Barberini

    Castelli Romani

    For centuries a closed world, the papal gardens at Castel Gandolfo can now be visited, albeit accompanied and in groups. The regular one-hour tour鈥�

  • Museo delle Navi Romane

    Museo delle Navi Romane

    Castelli Romani

    This museum on the shores of Lago di Nemi was built by Mussolini to house two Roman boats salvaged from the lake in 1932. These dated from Caligula鈥檚 time鈥�

  • Nemi

    Nemi

    Castelli Romani

    The small town of Nemi is perched high above Lago di Nemi, the smaller of the two volcanic lakes in the Castelli Romani. This area was the centre of a鈥�

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