Pope Leo XIV makes a brief visit to the town of Castel Gandolfo to inspect the works in progress at the Papal residence, where he will spend his summer holiday starting on Sunday, July 6.

By Vatican News

On Thursday afternoon, July 3, Pope Leo XIV visited Villa Barberini, in the Borgo Laudato Si’ (“Laudato Si’ Village”) in Castel Gandolfo, to inspect the works in progress, as confirmed by the Holy See Press Office.

Starting on Sunday, July 6, the Pope will travel to the town located 25 kilometers (around 16 miles) from Rome for a period of rest until July 20.

During those 14 days, the Pope will celebrate Mass on Sunday, July 13, at 10:00 AM in the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova. At 12:00 PM, he will lead the Angelus prayer in Freedom Square, in front of the Apostolic Palace.

On Sunday, July 20, at 9:30 AM, he will again celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of Albano. Before his election to the papacy, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost was titular bishop of the diocese of Albano.

That same day, at 12:00 PM, Pope Leo XIV will recite the Angelus in Freedom Square. He will then return to the Vatican in the afternoon.

All private audiences and weekly General Audiences have been suspended throughout July. The General Audiences will resume on Wednesday, July 30. In the days following, the Jubilee for Youth will take place from July 28 to August 3, and the Pope is expected to attend.

On May 29, Pope Leo XIV had already visited Castel Gandolfo in order to tour the Borgo Laudato Si’ (“Laudato Si’ Village”).

The project was created by Pope Francis in 2023 within the Papal Villas area as an educational space for issues related to the environment, as a concrete example of the “integral ecology” at the heart of the encyclical Laudato si’ which he published ten years ago.

On that occasion, Pope Leo also visited the Apostolic Palace, which Pope Francis had transformed into a museum complex open to the public in 2016.

Pope Leo XIV is set to revive a long-dormant papal tradition this Sunday, embarking on a summer retreat to Castel Gandolfo, a move that has sparked hopes of a much-needed tourism boom for the lakeside town.

The decision marks a significant departure from the approach of his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who famously eschewed such breaks.

Leo, elected to the papacy on 8 May following Francis’s death, will spend two weeks from 6-20 July in Castel Gandolfo.

Located just an hour’s drive south of Rome, the sleepy hill town, home to about 8,900 residents, sits on the shores of Lake Albano.

The Vatican has maintained ownership of a grand papal palace in the town, complete with extensive Renaissance-style gardens, since 1596. However, the last pontiff to use it for a summer holiday was 12 years ago.

Francis, known for his rejection of much of the papacy’s traditional pomp and privilege, opted instead to spend his summers within his Vatican residence, foregoing any official vacation.

Leo’s upcoming stay has ignited optimism among Castel Gandolfo’s mayor and local business owners.

They anticipate that the presence of the new leader of the Catholic Church will draw a significant influx of tourists, eager to catch a glimpse of Leo and explore the historic surroundings.

“Pope Leo has given us a wonderful gift,” Stefano Carosi, the owner of a coffee shop on the town’s main square, said.

“The pope has always been important here … because he attracts people.”

Mayor Alberto De Angelis said residents were excited about the visit.

“The presence of the popes in Castel Gandolfo has always meant a lot of activity, a lot of economic growth,” he said.

Pope Benedict greets the faithful at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo (AP)

While Leo is expected to spend most of his vacation out of the public eye, staying in a Vatican-owned building behind a gated wall, residents and tourists will have the opportunity to see him at religious celebrations on 13 and 20 July.

Dozens of popes have spent the summer months at Castel Gandolfo, where it is cooler than in Rome, which has been sweltering in an early summer heatwave with temperatures reaching more than 37C.

Francis left ‘long-lasting’ museum legacy

Francis had Castel Gandolfo’s papal palace turned into a museum and opened the gardens to visitors.

Leo will not stay at the palace and the museum will remain open to the public, instead staying at another Vatican property.

Although Francis never spent the night in Castel Gandolfo, residents said his decision to open the museum has had long-lasting benefits.

A visitor looks at the pope’s bedroom inside the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo (AP)

Marina Rossi, owner of a mosaic studio in the town, said tourists used to come only in the summer to see the pope at one of his audiences, but now they came more frequently.

“It was more of a hit-and-run tourism, because there was the audience and then they would leave,” she said.

“Now there is a steady flow of tourism throughout the whole year.”

Now, with Leo coming back, said Rossi, it gave the town the chance to attract even more tourists.

“It’s an important moment,” she said. “I won’t hide my happiness.”

As for what Leo might do during his vacation, Maurizio Carosi, brother of Stefano, had a suggestion, saying he’d tell the pope: “If you want a good glass of wine, come visit with me!”

Leo will head to the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, from July 6-20 “for a period of rest” and again for a few days over the Catholic Assumption feast day in August, the Vatican said.

Leo visited the papal summer palace last month, raising speculation that he would resume a tradition that goes back centuries.

Pope Urban VIII built the palace in 1624 to give popes an escape from the sweltering Roman summer.

Leo will head to the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo (Andrew Medichini/AP)

It was enlarged over succeeding pontificates to its present size of 136 acres, bigger than Vatican City itself.

Pope Francis, who died just after Easter, was known as a workaholic homebody who never took a proper holiday during his 12-year papacy, staying at the Vatican even during the hot summer months.

Both of Francis’ immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, spent time at Castel Gandolfo, interspersed with visits to the northern Italian Alps.

Benedict was especially fond of Castel Gandolfo, closing his papacy out there in 2013.

Partly to offset an economic downturn in the local town due to the papal absence, Francis opened the palazzo’s gardens to the public in 2014 and later turned part of it into a museum.

In what will be a boon to the local community, Leo is resuming the traditional Angelus blessing to the faithful gathered in front of Castel Gandolfo on July 13 and July 20, and again on August 15 and 17, when he returns for a short stay over Italy’s most important summer holiday.

Public and private audiences at the Vatican will be suspended for most of July, resuming on July 30.

July is the month in which most popes reduce their schedule. Many official, public, and private events are canceled. For example, general audiences at the Vatican are suspended for July.

In the case of Pope Leo XIV, he has also canceled the Wednesday catecheses, so—barring any last-minute changes—people will not see the Pope on July 9, 16, or 23 at his traditional meetings with the pilgrims.

The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household also indicated that there will be no private audiences this month. This is common, although popes do usually receive some visitors as a part of their daily official agenda.

In fact, just recently on July 1, Pope Leo held eight meetings. One of them was with the bishops of the Patriarchal Church of Antioch of the Syrians.

Although July has already begun and public appearances have been reduced, Pope Leo XVI’s real period of rest will begin on Sunday.

That’s when he will travel to Castel Gandolfo, where he will stay until July 20. On that day, he will pray the Angelus and then return to the Vatican.

During the nearly 15 days he will spend at Castel Gandolfo, it is likely that the Pope will also receive some visitors. However, these visitors will most likely fall within his private schedule, similar to what Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI did when they spent summers there.

Pope Francis, on the other hand, chose not to leave the Vatican and remained at Casa Santa Marta. He said he used the time to listen to music, pray, sleep more, rest, or prepare for trips.

However, the vacation is also a good time to get ahead on work or reflect on certain matters. For example, popes have used the summer to write various documents. Pope Pius XII wrote his first encyclical at Castel Gandolfo; Pope Saint John Paul II also signed some texts while on vacation.

Pope Leo XIV has only been pope for two months, and he could use the summer to reflect on future decisions. For instance, it has yet to be decided who will succeed him as the head of the Dicastery for Bishops.

CA

Trans. CRT

Pope Leo is set to reinvigorate a time-honored tradition by spending his summer vacation at Castel Gandolfo, a town that anticipates a resurgence in tourism. The visit is significant as it’s the first time in over a decade that a sitting pope has vacationed there, following the late Pope Francis’s decision to forgo summer breaks.

Residents and business owners of Castel Gandolfo, located on the scenic shores of Lake Albano, hope to harness this opportunity to attract tourists eager to glimpse the new pope. While Pope Leo’s visit will largely remain private, his public appearances during religious events on July 13 and 20 are expected to draw crowds.

The Vatican’s historical presence in the town, which boasts a papal palace and vast gardens turned into a museum by Francis, adds cultural significance and year-round tourist appeal. Locals, like Marina Rossi, are optimistic about the potential economic upswing, as recent changes have already led to increased steady tourism.

(With inputs from agencies.)