The Pope summer Villa and gardens in Castel Gandolfo

“The Castles of Rome” We will visit the famous villages, Pope villas, abbeys and churches, gardens near Rome such as Castel Gandolfo, Albano, Frascati, Ariccia and Grottaferrata.

Why not stopping for a wine tasting in famous vineyard or some farmer house, have a lunch break in locally run restaurants or “fraschette”, to taste various artisanal cured meat like typical porchetta, cheese and other finger food, all accompanied by locally produced wines.

The so-called Roman Castles (Castelli Romani in Italian) is a group of comunes in the province of Rome. They are located at short distance south-east of the city of Rome, at the feet of the Alban Hills, in the territory corresponding to the Old Latium. The area of the castles occupies a fertile volcanic area which has allowed since ancient times a flourishing agriculture. The former crater is occupied by two lakes, the Lake of Nemi and that of Albano.
Starting from the ancient Roman era, it was an area frequented by the noblemen of Rome for its fresher climate during summer: the tradition was followed by the Popes which still have their summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, on the Lake Albano.
Since 1996, the Roman Castles area has been home to a large Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) zone that makes a wide variety of wines, like the Frascati white wine and Ariccia is celebrated for its porchetta (roasted pork meat).