Best kayak tour on Lake Castelgandolfo

Tariffs

Adults: €40

Duration

3 hours

History of the lake

Lake Albano is a lake of volcanic origin.
Its name derives from the name of the mysterious city of Albalonga destroyed by the Roman King Tullio Hostilio in the 6th century BC. Important prehistoric and Roman archaeological remains are found on its shores. On the north coast of the lake is the “Villaggio delle Macine”. It is an archaeological site with an area of one hectare rich in finds from the Bronze Age. It was discovered by chance in 1984 after the lake's waters subsided. It was originally a village built on stilts. Today it is considered the largest archaeological site on stilts in Italy. Its name was given to it because many stone millstones were found at that site. On the west coast is the entrance to the 'Emissary Channel'. It is an artificial tunnel built underground that starts on the shore, passes under the western edge of the lake crater and exits into the valley behind the small town of Castel Gandolfo. It was excavated in the 4th century BC by the Romans. The Canal is 1350 meters long, 1.70 meters high and 1 meter wide. It was built in 150 days by 30,000 men. It brought water useful for the movement of the millstones and for the irrigation of the crops in the valley, using Lake Albano as an immense tank. Still on the north coast are the remains of some parts of the Villa of the Emperor Domitian. The villa was a magnificent complex of buildings that embraced the whole of Lake Albano and occupied an area of 6 square kilometers. You can see the remains of the villa's port and some buildings that surrounded the water springs.
These buildings were called 'Nymphae'. Many centuries after these events, in 1960 on Lake Albano, the rowing and canoeing competitions of the summer games of the Rome Olympics were held

Lake tour

Before starting the tour of Lake Albano, our Guides who are also kayak instructors will give you a lesson ashore on the paddling technique and how to ride a kayak. When you start the tour you will immediately find yourself in a unique environment, for the deep peace in which you will row and you will be surprised to find yourself in such a quiet place just a few minutes from Rome. You will be surrounded only by the flora and fauna typical of those natural environments. Our Guides will tell you the history of Lake Albano and along the way they will show you some unique historical places, such as the “Villaggio delle Macine”, a small town built on stilts from the Bronze Age, the ports of Roman villas, and in particular that of the villa of Emperor Domitian from where the Romans watched a form of entertainment that they liked a lot: the atrocious spectacle of naval battles (in Latin: naumachie), the houses where some hermits lived completely isolated from the world, the springboard of the Popes , from where the Popes in ancient times loved to dive into the lake, when they spent periods of rest in their summer residence located above the lake in the small town of Castel Gandolfo. In warmer periods, from March to the end of October, there will also be a relaxing break, where we will sail to a beach on the lake shore that can only be reached by kayak and from where you can swim. During the tour, our Guides will give you continuous guidance on the paddling technique and at the end of your experience you will surely know how to paddle

We provide you with:

-Kayak
-Paddle
-Life jacket

Private transfer

For our customers, we provide a free shuttle service from the metro line A “Anagnina” stop to our headquarters on Lake Albano - Castel Gandolfo and back. Metro line A passes through the central train station “Roma Termini”. We can bring a maximum of 14 guests.