The Palace, which is now the property of the Vatican State, is the Pope’s summer residence.

 

It was built by Pope Urban VIII in the 17th C. Inside the construction as it stands today there are is Swiss Guard Ballroom and many Halls, such as the  Hall of the ‘Palafrenieri’ (Grooms), of the ‘Guardie Nobili’ (Noble Guards), of the Bussolanti (Papal Officers), of the Cavalieri di Cappa e Spada (Knights of Cloak and Mantle), Pope Clement XIV’s Dining Room, the Throne Room and the Hall of the Scalco (Steward).

 

Approximately 55 hectares of Pontifical Gardens surround the Pontifical Palace.

 

The Cybo Villa, purchased in 1717 by Cardinal Camillo Cybo, became the property of Pope Clement XIV in 1774 and consequently became a part of the Pontifical Villa estate.

 

In it stands the so called “lavandaie” (washerwoman) fountain, adorned with two feminine figures portrayed in the act of washing linen in the pool.

 

Villa Barberini, built by Maffeo Barberini, the nephew of Pope Urban VIII, became part of the Pontifical Villas in 1929.

 

The construction as it stands today is made up of two parts: one faces onto the lake and is three storeys high: the other, facing the sea, has four storeys.

 

Within the Villa grounds there’s the Castle Keep of the Propaganda Fide College and the Magnolia Garden, an Italianate Garden which is accessed along a holm-oak lined avenue.