On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV resumed a papal custom by departing the Vatican for Castel Gandolfo, a summer retreat.
Pope Francis never took a summer vacation during his 12-year tenure as pope, despite the fact that the little hamlet located about 15 miles south of the Vatican has welcomed popes for the summer since the 1600s.
According to the Vatican, Leo will live at Castel Gandolfo from Sunday through July 20. He arrived in town to see a road packed with well-wishers.
Before departing the Vatican, Leo remarked, “I hope everyone can have some vacation time to restore the body and spirit.”
The enormous 136-acre complex known as Castel Gandolfo is actually bigger than Vatican City. The small village around it traditionally earned cash from the Pope s summer visits.
Rather, Francis converted a sizable portion of the land into a museum, which attracted pilgrims and tourists throughout the year. As a result of the change, Leo will actually stay at a smaller house on the estate, which is where the Vatican secretary of state used to stay when traveling.
Simone Mariani, the owner of a restaurant, said of Francis’s improvements, “He made access to these structures possible, which no pope ever did in 400 years.” The entire community benefited from the tourism he brought.
Perhaps the most well-known aspect of Castel Gandolfo is that it was the residence of Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation in 2013. Less than a month after Benedict’s helicopter touched down at the residence after his departure from the Vatican, Francis met him there. After Benedict eventually returned to the Vatican, Francis gave the order to renovate the property.
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