Castelgandolfo Golf Club
Castelgandolfo is one of the finest golf addresses around Rome in terms of the balance it...
Castelgandolfo is one of the finest golf addresses around Rome in terms of the balance it strikes between landscape, design quality and overall arrival experience. Set within a remarkable volcanic area near Lake Albano and the Castelli Romani, the course uses terrain movement, vegetation and panoramic openings to create something deeply Italian yet architecturally international in ambition. The layout asks for tactical attention and thoughtful management of elevation while remaining consistently enjoyable and visually rewarding. It is particularly well suited to travelers wanting to leave the city quickly and find a slower, more elegant and scenically rich atmosphere. Castelgandolfo works equally well as a single day of refined golf or as part of a broader Roman itinerary. It has the rare quality of places that never feel forced: the ground, the setting and the final impression of the round all seem naturally aligned.
Perfetto come fuga da Roma: parti presto, gioca con calma, pranza nei Castelli e trasforma il golf in una vera giornata di territorio.
Bellissimo contesto dei Castelli Romani
Campo di qualità con forte equilibrio tra paesaggio e gioco
Meno iconico mediaticamente di Marco Simone
Più apprezzabile con tempo e itinerario ben costruito
Exclusive Experiences
Secrets found in no guidebook, curated by our concierge.
Villa Barberini: i Giardini del Papa
The Villa Barberini gardens at Castelgandolfo are the Pope's private gardens: 55 hectares with woodland, fountains, a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre, and the Vatican Astronomical Observatory. Since 2016 they have been partially open to the public but the apostolic palace areas remain reserved. Through the Pontifical Academy access to the secret west-side gardens can be requested.
“Vatican Observatory director Father Guy Consolmagno accepts private visits to the telescope dome in the evening: you use the same astronomical instruments from 1891. Consolmagno is the Vatican's meteorite expert and brings his personal meteorite collection.”
Villa Simone: il Cannellino che Dura
Piero Costantini of Villa Simone is the only producer still vinifying the Frascati Cannellino DOC — the sweet passito version of the Castelli Romani — with multi-year ageing. The 1990 Cannellino has developed wildflower honey and toasted hazelnut notes that no Sauternes at that price achieves. The private vertical shows 30 years of a forgotten wine.
“Piero Costantini preserves bottles of 1969 Cannellino — the year of the Moon — that his mother had cellared: he says the volcanic Frascati at 50 years has amber and beeswax notes that no white wine should reach.”
Lago Albano: Kayak al Tramonto tra i Castelli
Lake Albano is an ancient volcanic crater in the Castelli Romani at 293 metres altitude: the water is oligomineral and 25°C in summer. Albano Outdoor organises private sunset kayak sessions around the crater perimeter: 5 km of shoreline with Roman villas, the papal palace of Castelgandolfo, and the Lake Nature Reserve woodland.
“Guide Marcello Paolini leads to the underwater cave on the lake's west side — visible only with mask and snorkel — where the Romans pumped water to the 398 BC Emissary canal. The Roman channel still functions as drainage: it has worked uninterrupted for 2,400 years.”