Historical notes

The history of the location in which the Country Club Castelgandolfo was born has its roots in the years that precede the foundation of Rome; a brief explanation is important to comprehend the historical phases that led this territory to be worldly renown for a panoramic and breathtaking golf course.

Centuries of civilization

More than one thousand years before the birth of the roman empire, Ascanio, son of Enea, founds the village of Alba Longa on the western rim of the old volcanic crater that contains today the lake of Albano.

Being the nodal point for migratory herding, it is the right place for Alba Longa to prosper for more than five centuries until Tullo Ostilio, third king of Rome, ends the rivalry, razing Alba Longa to the ground halfway through the seventh century b.C.

This event eliminates any possibility of commercial development for Alba Longa, while the whole area is chosen by the Romans to build villas and residential quarters; the smooth and warm climate along with the beautiful landscape, perfect for leisure and relaxation, attract all the leading characters of the imperial and republican era.

The Origin of Castel Gandolfo

The ancient dominion of Alba Longa is lost during the decline of the roman empire and through the obscure centuries of the Middle Age; around the eleventh century an aristocratic family from Genoa, the Gandolfi, settles in the area and builds a castle on top of the hill, giving the name to the new village.

The property of the village passes from the Gandolfi family to the Savelli until 1596, when the Apostolic Chamber pays an enormous amount of money for the ownership of the entire estate.

A new phase of development starts for Castel Gandolfo as the Vatican establishes in the castle the Pope’s residential estate and in 1611 Pope Paolo V brings drinkable water to the village; architect Carlo Maderno, by appointment to Pope Urbano VII, of the Barberini family, builds the Papal Palace, while sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini takes care of the perimeter walls, builds the church of S. Tommaso di Villanova and the fountain in the square.

The origin of the golf course…

At the bottom of the citadel, where the hills slope down to the shore of Anzio and Nettuno, a lake formed into an old volcanic crater; during the imperial age, hydraulic engineers converted the swamp into land suitable for growing crops linking the area with pipes that brought water from lake Albano, creating orchards and gardens.

The golf course was born here, where Robert Trent Jones designed the 18 holes respecting the existing environment and fitting the fairways in a frame of vineyards, rose gardens and olive trees.

The Club House has been placed in the villa, originally built for the nephew of Pope Alessandro VII, Cardinal Flavio Chigi, who used the mansion to host a beautiful woman called “la Pavona” (italian term for the female peacock).

It was fully restored around 1960 by architect Giorgio Braghiroli, who provided the rooms and meeting halls with outstanding furniture.

Cominciamo da Enea, che sbarca secondo la leggenda a Lavinio, e da suo figlio Ascanio, che fonda 1230 anni prima dell'impero la città di Alba Longa.

Ai piedi della rocca di Castelgandolfo, dove al collina digrada dolcemente verso la pianura e la costa di Anzio e di Nettuno, c'era una singolare estensione di terreno coltivato. Praticamente uno scrigno di orti e di frutteti raccolto nell'area di un antico cratere vulcanico entro il quale si era formato un lago prosciugato in epoca imperiale. Per ottenere quel risultato gli ingegneri idraulici dell'antica Roma crearono una rete di cunicoli e condutture tuttora in funzione che allacciano idricamente la zona con le uscite d'acqua del lago di Castelgandolfo. Ottennero così il risultato duplice di sostituire ad un'area acquitrinosa e malsana un'estensione fertilissima.