| Castel Gandolfo | |
|---|---|
| — Comune — | |
| Città di Castel Gandolfo | |
| Castel Gandolfo and the Lake of Albano. | |
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Castel Gandolfo
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Province | Rome |
| Frazioni | Mole di Castel Gandolfo, Pavona |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Maurizio Colacchi (since May 2002) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14 km2 (5.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 426 m (1,398 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 8,834 |
| • Density | 631/km2 (1,634.3/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Castellani |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 00040 |
| Dialing code | 06 |
| Patron saint | St. Sebastian |
| Saint day | January 20 |
| Website | Official website |
Castel Gandolfo (Italian pronunciation: [kaˈstɛl ɡanˈdɔlfo],[1] Latin: Castrum Gandulphi, colloquially Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects) is a small Italian town or comune in Lazio that occupies a height overlooking Lake Albano about 15 miles south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills. It is best known as the summer residence of the Pope. It is an Italian town with the population of 8834. The town was voted one of the most beautiful towns in Italy.[2]
The resort community includes almost the whole coastline of Lake Albano that is surrounded by many summer residences, villas and cottages built during the seventeenth century. It houses the Stadio Olimpico that staged the rowing events during the Rome Olympics.
There are also several places of archaeological interest, including the Emissario del Lago Albano and the remains of the Villa of Domitian. The area is included in the boundaries of the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani (Regional Park of Castelli Romani). There are also many points of artistic interest, such as the Collegiate Church of St. Thomas of Villanova, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The boundaries of the town extend obliquely in a north-northeast turn around the hilly area of the Alban Hills and the plains of Agro Romanus. It is included and protected by the Regional Park of Castelli Romani, formed in 1984. Most of the soil is of volcanic origin, with prevalence of materials such as tuff and pozzolana.[3] Its seismic classification is rated a Zone 2 (medium-high seismicity) [4]
The main water body is Lake Albano, often called Lake Castel Gandolfo. The province of Rome currently manages the lake. Up to 1802, it was the property of the Abbey of Saint Nilus Grottaferrata, the Apostolic Camera (Catholic Church Financial Administration) and then owned by Prince Stanislaus Poniatowski in 1870.[5]
The maximum altitude that is registered in the territory is 425 m (1,394.36 ft) above sea level, at the Collegio di Propaganda Fide adjoining Villa Barberini. On the crown of the hills around the Lake Albano, stand only 400 m (1,312.34 ft) above sea level, elevation of the summit of Monte Cucco, bordering Marino, Italy.[6]
Towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, the land slopes gently, so from 250 m (820.21 ft) from the Casale Santa Cristina, below Castel Savello bordering Albano, goes to 217 m (711.94 ft) above sea level at Colle Lilli, to 200 m (656.17 ft) above sea level at Pozzo di Valle, to 155 m (508.53 ft) Quarto Santa bordering Marino, to 130 m (426.51 ft) above sea level of the Laghetto di Turno. The lowest altitude of the territory is 101 m (331.36 ft) above sea level at the village of Pavona.[6]
In terms of climate, the area falls within the domain of the temperate Mediterranean climate with mild winters, autumn temperatures higher than those of spring, and ventilated summers. In the area of Colli Albani, and at Castel Gandolfo, the phenomenon known as stau, which is the reduction of water vapor in the clouds as the ground rises can be observed. Summers are hot and dry, while winter is mild and rainy without, in general, extreme low temperatures and snow. In summer, temperatures can reach 35 °C (95 °F) with peaks of 37 °C (99 °F) in rare cases.[7] Climate classification: Zone D, 1966 GR / G .
The name "Castel Gandolfo" is derived from the Latin Castrum Gandulphi,[8] the name of the castle on this site was presumably owned by the family of Gandolfi, originally from Genoa. Another hypothesis, supported by Pope Pius II in his commentary (1462), is that the name results from Gandulphi Sabinorum, from a certain Gandolfo Savelli.[9]
Archaeological findings from the 16th century BC have been found in the area of what is now Castel Gandolfo.
At the site of the modern Castel Gandolfo stood in pre-Roman age, the famous Alba Longa, capital of the mythical Latin League, a city founded by Ascanius, the son of Aeneas. Many historians and scholars have speculated that the site of the city’s acropolis was exactly the site of the modern town of Castel Gandolfo, but since the nineteenth century, the best hypothesis is that the settlement was on the opposite side of the Lake Albano, between the towns Costa Caselle Marino and locality Palazzolo di Rocca di Papa. Alba Longa was destroyed by the Romans after a war in 658 BC.[10]
In 396 BC the Romans dug the Emissario (canal) del Lago Albano, in order to fulfill a prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi regarding the Battle of Veii.[10]
Between the Republican age, and the Imperial Age, and the opening of the Appian Way, many patrician summer residences were established starting with the Villa of Clodius at Ercolano, attributed to Publius Clodius Pulcher at which Clodius himself was assassinated in 54 BC. The biggest villa was the Villa of Domitian at Castel Gandolfo, a large complex that partly enclosed Villa Barberini, and embraced a large territory that included Lake Albano and numerous imperially owned buildings. The imperial villa, which fell into disuse after the construction of Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, was then called Massa Caesariana, and much later eventually became the property of the Holy See, was added to the Patrimonium Appiae (See Patrimonium Sancti Petri).Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica - Castel-Gandolfo, vol. X pp. 153–175, Venezia, Tipografia Emiliani, 1841.[10]
The territory of Castel Gandolfo, including the Massa Caesariana, became the property of the Counts of Tusculum and in the early 11th century became part of the Abbey of San Nilo Grottaferrata. The Gandolfi family of Lombard origin from Genoa erected the Castrum, which still bears their name. In 1221, the castle became the possession of the Savelli family; In 1482, Pope Sixtus IV granted the ownership of Castel Gandolfo to the community of Velletri, which had been damaged by the Savellis. Pope Sixtus V elevated Castel Gandolfo to the level of Duchy in favor of Bernardino Savelli. However, due to the insolvency of the Savelli Duchy in the payment of huge debts, the property returned to the Apostolic Camera on June 30, 1596. Pope Clement VIII then included the castle in the list of goods of the Holy See that could not be sold.[11]
Under the new government of the Apostolic Camera, Pope Paul V started major public works. Works included starting a water pipeline to the castle from the heights of Malafitto and Palazzolo, and founding a Reformed Franciscans (1619) monastery. Pope Urban VIII in 1628 was the first Pope to stay in Castel Gandolfo. The first Papal Bull issued by a pope from Castel Gandolfo was also written by Pope Urban VIII on October 25, 1626.[12]
At the time of Pope Alexander VII ( 1655–1667), new public works were initiated, including the road that leads up to the Palazzolo paralleling the crags of the Lake Albano, called in ancient Via Alessandrina. Other works include the accommodations of the Pontifical Palace (1660) and the construction of the Collegiate Church of St. Thomas of Villanova (1658–1661) by architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini and the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta in nearby Ariccia Chigi.[11]
On September 24, 1728 the Castel Gandolfo government was given pro tempore by Pope Benedict XIII in the Bull Aequitatis Maggiordomo of Sacred Palaces. Pope Benedict XIV (1740–1758) made frequent visits to Castel Gandolfo, overseeing construction of the Papal Palace main façade bell tower and widened the road that leads to Marino, now State Route 216.[11]
After the French seized Rome in February 1798, they established the Repubblica Albanense, which included the towns Albano Laziale, Frascati, Velletri and Marino. In this case, Castel Gandolfo was joined to the city of Albano, but on February 21 the Castel Gandolfo rose up against the French along with other inhabitants of the Castelli Romani. During the Napoleonic Wars, some 900 anti-French citizens of neighboring Velletri held out in Castel Gandolfo, resisting the siege by Joachim Murat. The counter-revolutionaries were defeated by the French in the Battle of Frattocchie or Castel Gandolfo (February 24, 1798), following which the French sacked the Papal Palace.
With the return of Pope Pius VII, Castel Gandolfo was returned to the Maggiordomo dei Sacri Palazzi (Government of the Sacred Palaces) and this lasted until September 1870.[12] According to tradition, the first mailbox in the world can be found in Freedom Square.
On September 20, 1870 the Papal States officially ended with the taking of Porta Pia and the entrance of militiamen in Rome. Pope Pius IX, who had left Castel Gandolfo in May 1869 was the last pope to put foot in the Papal Palace until 1929.[12]
On February 11, 1929 with the publication of the Lateran Pacts, Benito Mussolini granted the nascent State of Vatican City possession of the Papal Palace with adjacent houses for a total of 110 acres (44.52 ha). In 1933 the Vatican Observatory was moved from the Vatican because of too much artificial light in Rome and installed at Castel Gandolfo. In January 2008, it was announced that, due to the deterioration of visibility in the Castelli Romani, the center would be moved to the United States of America.[12]
The January 22, 1944 invasion by British and Americans at Anzio brought the Castelli Romani to the forefront of clashes during the Second World War. On February 1, Ariccia and Albano Laziale were bombed, with the destruction of the local convent of Poor Clares with a toll of 16 killed. On February 2, Marino was hit with several hundred victims, and then the February 10 bombing struck the College of Propaganda Fide, causing 500 civilian deaths.[13] The Pontifical Villas served some 12,000-refugee children and forty births during the war.[14]
On September 19, 1994, Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro granted to the town of Castel Gandolfo the title of City.
The town of Castel Gandolfo is included in the boundaries of the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani. The major forested areas within its jurisdiction are serious fire risk in summer. The main green area of the town of Castel Gandolfo is represented by the totality of the Pontifical Villas of extraterritorial property of the State of Vatican City.
Castel Gandolfo does not host secondary schools, but within the municipal area lie a private kindergarten run by the Paul VI Pontifical Municipal School, which is primary and secondary level. Finally, there are the Scuola Media Statale "Dante Alighieri" and other religious institutions, which deal with primary education.
Walsh University, which has its main campus in North Canton, OH in the United States of America, holds a small campus in Castel Gandolfo. Classes are held in the fall, spring, and summer for Walsh students.[16]
Castel Gandolfo has a long theatrical tradition, as witnessed by the hall theater "Ugo Bazzi", is a recently restored annex to the Santa Maria Ausiliatrice. Performances there are held mostly held by local companies. Addition, on March 2008 was inaugurated the theater Salapetrolini in Via Prati.
Many local restaurants in the municipality have panoramic views and the antiquity of the tradition. The restaurant "Pagnanelli" for example has been operational since 1882, in a strategic position so that it is even on the map of Military Geographical Institute.
Castel Gandolfo has also recently been portrayed in the video game 'Assassins Creed Brotherhood', in which the castle is a multiplayer map location.
The original nucleus of living of the city is the Papal Palace, which was the ancient Castrum Gadulphorum, the stronghold of the family Gandolfi, and the Collegiate Church of St. Thomas, which occupies the area of the ancient parish church of San Michele. This core is now occupied by the Piazza della Libertà, true heart of the historic center.
The main artery of the historic center is Corso della Repubblica, which continues to Albano Laziale through the Galleria di Sopra. Other routes parallel this road including the Papal Palace and the panoramic Via della Saponara, overlooking Lake Albano.
The new expansion of Castel Gandolfo has started since the beginning of the twentieth century, first near the State Road 216 Maremmana III, then with the birth of the Borgo San Paolo a little further downstream, with the work of several cooperatives that have all that urbanized the area along State Road 7 Via Appia.
The urbanization of Pavona at the castle is also recent and follows State Road 207 Nettunense and Provincial Road 101 / a Via Colonnelle.
| Recent Population Trends | |
| 1982 | 6122[17] |
| 1985 | 6365[17] |
| 1990 | 6629[17] |
| 1995 | 7220[18] |
| 2000 | 7979[18] |
| 2001 | 7930[19] |
| 2002 | 7925[20] |
| 2003 | 8108[21] |
| 2004 | 8539[22] |
| 2005 | 8592[23] |
| 2006 | 8643[24] |
| 2007 | 8619[25] |
Pavona was centered around a tavern on the way to Nettuno and the villa of Cardinal Flavio Chigi (1631–1693), nephew of Pope Alexander VII. The place was urbanized during the twentieth century, thanks to the opening of the railway Roma-Velletri, and today is divided between the municipalities of Castel Gandolfo, Albano Laziale and Rome. The part castle, known as Pavona Pond due to the above-named for Round Pond, has about 3000 inhabitants and has as its patron saint St. Eugene III of Toledo.
Mole di Castel Gandolfo, divided in part by the town of Albano Laziale, owe their name to the presence in the place of ancient mass fed by the waters of the Emissary of Lake Albano, which were used until the nineteenth century by the inhabitants of Castel Gandolfo and Albano Laziale to crush the grain.
In all the municipalities in the Alban Hills, agriculture, and particularly wine production, has always been the main economic voice and employer. Notable wines include the Frascati, the Marino, the Velletri and the Colli Lanuvini.
The production of wine, and vanished era of small farmers is maintained by major producers such as Cantina Sociale Gotto d'Oro of Marino and Frascati, which is based in the nearby town of Castelluccia, and the Wine Cellar Social Albano Laziale and Ariccia, based in Fontana di Papa.
Municipal Statute prohibits installation of equipment and systems, fixed telecommunication and radio devices, particularly equipment for radio, television and mobile telephony, and systems for radio amateurs. This prohibition is exempt for military installations, civil protection and forest protection.[26]
Most services such as hospitals or cinemas are based outside the city in larger centers like Marino, Frascati, Albano Laziale and Genzano di Roma. However, these centers are all reached by car or public transport. In return, the city is commercially very lively, thanks to the continuous influx of Italian tourists and foreigners linked to the presence of the Papal Palace and, at certain times of the Pope.[27]
Castel Gandolfo is undoubtedly the most popular tourist town of Castelli Romani. In fact, regular groups of Italian and foreign tourists utilize all of the parking built specifically for tourists. On the occasion of Angelus or the hearings on the Pope during his stay, many foreign pilgrims arrive in town, so that the streets and squares in the center are filled.
For the XVII Olympiad in Rome in 1960, the Italian Olympic Committee built the Olympic Stadium and the Federal Center for Canoe / Kayak on Lake Albano,. At this stage the races were held in this discipline, and even today the Italian Federation of Canoe / Kayak considers this one of its most important training cites
Since 1960, Lake Albano has been used for Olympic competitions for the sport. Currently, the Master Line Canoeing Sports Association, active since 2005, scored important achievements promote the sport. Another school of kayaking is held by the ASD Polisportiva Giovanile Salesiana Castel Gandolfo.
Castel Gandolfo has had an amateur football club since 2005 at Oratory Parish St. Thomas of Villanova, which organizes friendly matches with other teams in the area.
In the 1970s, Castel Gandolfo Country Club opened in Pavona. The complex is located in the crater of the ancient dried up lake and in the ancient villa of Cardinal Flavio Chigi.
The league includes youth ranging from Under 6 to 16, a senior women's team, an adult male and a senior men's team. The latter, formed in 2009, campaigning in the regional championship of the C series (season 2009/2010).
Castel Gandolfo is twinned with:
September 29, 1999