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The Vatican's train line rides up to Castel Gandolfo

September 14, 2015

Pope Francis is the first to have opened the sumptuous papal summer villa Castel Gandolfo to the public. Visitors can now ride up to the palace by train and bus every Saturday.

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Vatikan Castel Gandolfo
Image: imago/chromorange

In 2014, Pope Francis opened the Italian gardens of the Castel Gandolfo to the public for guided tours. Now he has decided a train would regularly allow tourists to ride from St. Peter's Basilica to the papal summer palace. It is the first train line since the creation of the Vatican in 1929. Tickets can be booked on the website of the Vatican Museum.

Located some 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Rome, the Castel Gandolfo is from now on open to the public once a week, each Saturday. The villa served as a summer residence for Pope Benedict XVI, John Paul II and their predecessors.

A gallery of about 50 portraits of popes from the past 500 years is shown at the Castel Gandolfo. Papal vestments and liturgical equipment are also on display. However, the papal apartments known as the Apostolic Palace, built in the 13th century, remain closed to the public.

The 40-euro ($45) ticket includes a visit of the Villa Barberini with its Italian gardens, the ruins of the residence of the Roman emperor Domitian and the organic farm of the pope.

Unlike his predecessors, the frugal Pope Francis never spent more than a few days in the summer estate Castel Gandolfo. Local shopkeepers and restaurants have been hit by a drop in tourism since the Argentine decided to shun the palace.

at/eg (afpe, epd)