Directorate of the Pontifical Villas

The Directorate of the Pontifical Villas is mainly responsible for the management, maintenance and preservation of the two Palaces entrusted to it, the Apostolic one with all the facilities connected with it, and Villa Barberini. Moreover, the Directorate is responsible for the management of the infrastructure and the power and water system, including the Springs of Palazzolo and the pumping station that draws water from the lake, which guarantee the supply of power and water throughout the territory of the Pontifical Villas, extending over some 55 hectares.

The Management of the Pontifical Villas is at the service of the Successors of Peter because its mission has always been to assist the Pontiff in his time of rest.

These places, which have a long tradition of hosting the Holy Father during the summer period, have always been a home to all those who work and live there, as well as a source of pride, their history, and for many of them, their family. For many years, their human and professional relationships were bonded by their service to the Holy Father.

The organizational structure was conceived as a “small” replica of the Vatican. Indeed, within the Directorate there are services that cover all the potential needs that the Holy Father and his entourage may have. There is the staff of the floreria, who serve in the Apostolic Palace assisting with the daily necessities of guests, an operational staff including electricians, plumbers, carpenters, drivers and gardeners, and lastly, a group of sector managers, who along with the Director, supervise all the needs the Pontifical Family may have during their stay.

In these last years, the style and use of the of the Villas have certainly undergone a profound change.

The summer residence of the popes has been opened to the public to reveal the great beauty of the place and of the Palaces.

The staff at the Villas have gone from being entirely dedicated to providing a daily service to the pontiffs, to attending to the needs of tourists and museum guides that visit the Villas.

This transformation process from summer residence of the pontiffs to a cultural hub has now been completed. The Directorate of the Pontifical Villas can still cooperate with the Directorate of Museums, to join the cultural aspect to the tourist one, welcoming in the two magnificent Palaces, the Apostolic one and Villa Barberini, exhibitions, conferences and institutional conferences that make the Villas a “cultural heritage of humanity”

In their hearts, the staff continue to be ever ready to resume the institutional role for which the Directorate of the Pontifical Villas was created in 1930, that of welcoming, the pontiffs and making their stay peaceful and restful.

In addition to the Director, there are currently 20 people working in the Directorate of the Pontifical Villas. They are divided into three groups. The first one has operational tasks dedicated mainly to management, maintenance and conservation of the Apostolic Palace and Barberini Palace, including the precious furnishings they contain; a second group manages the Secret Garden and the Garden of the Moor and the last group assists the Director in the Secretariat of the Directorate, with administration duties and personnel management.