Gaddafi stayed there with his Bedouin tent and his Amazonian bodyguards; King Charles III visited in April 2024; and, according to a tradition that has never been entirely disproved, a secret underground passage leading to the Vatican is said to run beneath its gardens.
Yet, the Casino del Bel Respiro, a Baroque masterpiece from 1644 nestled in the greenery of Villa Pamphilj, is known to very few. Not because it is far away or difficult to reach, but because it is almost always closed to the public.
This official residence of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for foreign heads of state will reopen in 2026 on select dates, with access limited to just 40 people per session. The last available date is June 13. If you’re reading this article, you still have time.
The Villa Pamphilj palace that almost no one has ever seen—and why it’s absolutely worth visiting
Imagine walking through Villa Pamphilj—Rome’s largest villa, spanning 184 hectares—and coming across a building that seems to have stepped straight out of the 17th century: facades covered with statues, busts, and bas-reliefs; geometric gardens with boxwood hedges shaped like doves and lilies (the heraldic symbols of the Pamphilj family); a nymphaeum clad in shells bearing Virgil’s inscription Omnia vincit amor.
It is not a movie set. It is the Casino del Bel Respiro, and until a few decades ago, it was practically invisible to anyone who wasn’t a foreign dignitary.
In 1644, Pope Innocent X Pamphilj commissioned the construction of a ceremonial residence nestled within the greenery of his estate. The project was entrusted to the Emilian sculptor Alessandro Algardi —from whom the palace derives its second name, Casino dell’Algardi —who created a building in the Palladian style whose facades are literally an open-air museum: the statues come from the family collection, from on-site discoveries, and even from Villa Adriana in Tivoli, where Algardi went in person to collect the materials.
In 1985, the building became a government representative office, and Cossiga chose the Room of Unrequited Love as an alternative office to the Quirinale. In 2009, Muammar Gaddafi was so struck by the beauty of the place that he moved his Bedouin tent—and his trusted Amazons—directly into the secret garden. More recently, in April 2024, it was King Charles III who strolled through these rooms alongside Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
One final detail, somewhere between history and legend: according to tradition, the Casino is connected to the Vatican by an underground tunnel about a kilometer and a half long, designed as a safe escape route for the Pope. This has never been officially confirmed or denied. Which, of course, makes it all the more fascinating.
How to visit the Casino dell’Algardi at Villa Pamphilj in 2026
Public openings of the Casino del Bel Respiro are extremely rare— six times a year at most, with a calendar that sells out in minutes every time reservations open. For 2026, the full schedule included four spring events, but three have already taken place:
- Saturday, March 21, 2026 — past
- Saturday, April 18, 2026 — past
- Saturday, May 16, 2026 — sold out
- Saturday, June 13, 2026 — ✅ Reservations open at 9:00 a.m. on May 15, 2026.
Tours take place in the morning, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with groups of up to 40 people per session and a duration of about one hour.
Special openings may be announced throughout the year: keep an eye on the government’s official website (governo.it) and, if you can’t book a visit for June, mark your calendar for the fall season.
How to book your next visit
No apps or platforms. Here, reservations are made via email. Write to:
📧 visitealgardi@palazzochigi.it
In your message, please include the full personal details of all participants—last name, first name, place and date of birth, citizenship—plus a phone number. You can include up to 6 names per request, perfect for a small group or family.
Requests are processed in chronological order of arrival: when reservations open, spots go fast. Non-EU citizens must attach a document certifying their legal residence in Italy.
🆓 Admission is completely free. Appropriate attire is required.
How to get to Villa Pamphilj
The Casino is located within Villa Doria Pamphilj, in the Gianicolense-Aurelio district, and can be reached in several ways:
- 🚌 By bus: lines 31, 75, and 710, with stops on Via Aurelia Antica and Via di San Pancrazio.
- 🚗 By car or scooter: main entrance on Via Aurelia Antica, parking available on nearby streets.
- 🚲 By bike: accessible via the Gianicolo bike path and routes through the city center.
Once inside the park, keep Google Maps handy: given its size, finding your way around isn’t always easy. But this time, you already know where you’re going.
