Castel Gandolfo (Summer hide-away/retreat for Popes) will open its 135-acre gardens to guests / laity

from NCR ONLINE (National Catholic Reporter web article): . . . Pope Francis has resisted joining the list of popes who have taken up temporary residence in Castel Gandolfo, praying and reciting the rosary in the garden acreage 13 miles south of Rome. In the meantime, caretaker Osvaldo Gianoli said, the pope "strongly desired that [the villas] be opened as a sign of sharing something unique, a common good, and so wanted this opening to share the gardens with the public." Gianoli, who was named director of the papal villas at Castel Gandolfo in December, has the challenge of fulfilling Pope Francis' mandate to welcome the public while at the same time preserving the historic gardens and ensuring they can fulfill their main purpose: as a place of quiet relaxation for the pope and his top aides. The papal property at Castel Gandolfo extends over 135 acres -- compared to the 108.7 acres of Vatican City -- and includes 17 acres of formal gardens, three residences, and a working farm. The formal Italian gardens, planted in the 1930s, are a meticulously maintained historic, artistic and botanical treasure, Gianoli said. The emphasis on symmetry and geometric topiary -- the hedges are trimmed flat or carefully rounded -- is meant to reflect and extend the architecture of the main buildings to the outdoors. The other treasure on the property is the first-century ruins of the summer villa of Roman Emperor Domitian, who reigned in 81-96. Visitors can walk around his small amphitheater and peek into the remaining 110-yard-length of a "cryptoportico" where the emperor could stroll far from prying eyes, remaining cool and dry in any weather. The farm is not included on the itinerary for the public, although school groups have been invited, as have the children served by the Vatican's St. Martha pediatric clinic. The farm is the real deal, producing 185 gallons of milk a day, 50,000 eggs a year, honey, olive oil and vegetables, including some from the seeds used in Michelle Obama's White House garden and given to Pope Francis as a gift. "The yellow zucchini are ready now -- I'd never had yellow zucchini, but they're good," Gianoli said. A treat he is looking forward to sampling in the winter will be the final result of September's grape harvest. More than 400 little vines were planted three years ago and the first full batch of bunches are ripening on the vine, waiting to be picked and turned into wine. . . see entire article by Cindy Wooden of NCR at: ______________ http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/no-pope-residence-vatican-opens-gardens-summer-villa