logo
Pope Leo to resume papal tradition with plan to escape Rome's summer heat

Pope Leo to resume papal tradition with plan to escape Rome's summer heat

BreakingNews.ie17-06-2025
Pope Leo XIV will resume the papal tradition of taking a summer break outside Rome, the Vatican has announced.
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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
Public and private audiences at the Vatican will be suspended for most of July, resuming on July 30.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

First look: Luxury hotel brand Aman opens doors to Italian mountain retreat
First look: Luxury hotel brand Aman opens doors to Italian mountain retreat

The Independent

time19 minutes ago

  • The Independent

First look: Luxury hotel brand Aman opens doors to Italian mountain retreat

Hotel group Aman has opened the doors to a luxury mountain retreat in the heart of Italy 's snowcapped Dolomites. Aman Rosa Alpina, in the village of San Cassiano, will welcome guests for the first time today (Thursday 24 July). The property has been run by the Pizzinini family since 1939 under the name Rosa Alpina. Hugo and Ursula Pizzinini will remain at the helm of the establishment, stating that the partnership with Aman will allow them to 'celebrate their family legacy and three generations of hospitality.' Aman Rosa Alpina has 51 rooms and suites, with the Aman Suite being the largest. It comprises two king bedrooms, ensuite bathrooms with steam showers, a dining area and a large terrace. For families or large groups, some interconnecting suites are available. The hotel 's design includes expansive balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows, providing unrivalled views of the Dolomites. Inside the rooms, guests will find glass-enclosed fireplaces and large walk-in wardrobes. The interiors incorporate local craftsmanship and natural materials while maintaining the brand's signature minimalist design principles. The reopened retreat also includes new dining experiences. The Grill offers wood-fired meats, fish and pizza, while Japanese restaurant Akiri will bring Shabu Shabu hot pots to Italy. Guests can also make reservations in the wine library for private dinners or expert-led tastings, while the Cigar Lounge will allow guests to enjoy premium cigars and aged spirits in an intimate setting. Aman has installed a new, two-level spa, complete with treatment suites, hydrotherapy pools, a sauna and a 20-metre outdoor infinity pool. Here, guests will also be able to find the fitness centre and yoga studio, plus a hair and nail salon. For families staying at the hotel, the Kids and Teens Room will keep younger visitors occupied, as will the three private cinema rooms. Visitors can use Aman Alpine Rosa as a base for hikes or tours in the summer and autumn. In the winter, the Dolomiti Superski is open, complete with 745 miles of slopes and 450 ski lifts. The hotel has a dedicated ski butler to ensure guests have the correct equipment. On returning from the slopes, guests can utilise the heated boot racks and storage facilities in the ski lounge. Aman Rosa Alpina is now open, welcoming guests until 12 October 2025, and again for the 2025-26 winter season (beginning 4 December 2025).

Abandoned island in Venice to become a haven for locals seeking escape from tourism
Abandoned island in Venice to become a haven for locals seeking escape from tourism

The Independent

time19 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Abandoned island in Venice to become a haven for locals seeking escape from tourism

Venetian activists will transform part of an abandoned island into a public park, where locals can escape the millions of tourists that visit the city each year. The grassroots group, named Poveglia per Tutti (Poveglia for Everyone), said it had received permission from the Italian government to transform the island of Poveglia into a public lagoon park from 1 August. Residents and supporters across Italy have campaigned for more than a decade to save the historically significant but decaying island from neglect and privatisation. Campaigners say the project aims to create a 'public lagoon park open to all,' managed collectively through 'practices of subsidiarity and active participation.' Patrizia Veclani, one of the founders of the group, has told local outlet Altreconomia earlier this year that Poveglia per Tutti would prioritise building an 'accessible and safe landing place' and creating 'a way to reach the island without overtaking it with tourism'. They hope this model could serve as an alternative vision for Venice, where locals say they are struggling to cope with overtourism. The city has recently introduced measures like entry fees to curb tourist pressure, while residents warn of losing public space and a strain on local infrastructure. Cruise ships have been banned from entering the Venice lagoon and main Giudecca Canal since August 2021 – a move welcomed by Unesco after repeated warnings that the large vessels were damaging the iconic city. But after a brief trial last year, Venice also recently reintroduced its day-tripper tax, charging tourists not staying on the islands €5 to visit. From April this year, tourists are now charged €10 for that privilege unless they book at least four days in advance. Poveglia was once used as a quarantine site for people with plague and other infectious diseases. It was later converted into a mental hospital. The hospital shut its doors in 1968, and the island has remained abandoned ever since. Poveglia per Tutti has set aside around €300,000 for the first phase of the project and plans to seek further funding. It has also partnered with the University of Verona to study the social impact of redevelopment, aiming to create a blueprint for community-led management of public assets. The group said in a statement that the success of the project is due to 'thousands of members, supporters, associations and organisations' who backed the vision, even from afar.' They urged people to volunteer, spread the word and help turn Poveglia into what they call 'a symbol of a new idea of managing community assets.' Venice's historic centre had more than 170,000 residents in 1954, according to city authorities. Last year, they were down to just over 49,000. Around 30 million tourists visit Venice in a typical year, with about seven out of 10 (or 21 million) staying only for the day.

Locals in hols hotspot buy creepy abandoned plague quarantine island ‘built on human ash' to escape tourist crowds
Locals in hols hotspot buy creepy abandoned plague quarantine island ‘built on human ash' to escape tourist crowds

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Locals in hols hotspot buy creepy abandoned plague quarantine island ‘built on human ash' to escape tourist crowds

LOCALS in a holiday hotspot have purchased what has been dubbed the world's 'creepiest' island which was 'built on human ash' in order to escape hoards of tourists. Poveglia, just off the coast of Venice, Italy, got the dubious moniker as in the 18 century it was used as a quarantine station during outbreaks of the plague. 5 5 5 The 18-acre site was also used as a mass burial ground, where some 160,000 victims are thought to have been burned to stop the spread of the disease. It has been said that even to this day, human ash from these cremations make up more than 50 per cent of the island's soil. The small island was eventually abandoned in the 1990s tourists are banned from setting foot on the spine-tingling patch of land due to countless crumbling derelict buildings. However, next month it will be taken over by an activist group Poveglia per Tutti (Poveglia for Everyone), and transformed into an urban park for the Venetians. The Italian city is a huge tourist attraction with an estimated 30 million people visiting every year. In an attempt to deter so many people a €5 (£4.40) access charge has been levied which has done little to deter visitors but officials claim it helps them monitor the flow of sightseers. Cruise ships were banned from arriving in the city in 2021, forcing them to dock on the mainland at Marghera or Ravenna, nearly 90 miles to the south, or at Trieste, nearly 100 miles across the Adriatic. Tourists are then bussed in to the historic city. The changes have reduced air pollution in Venice but has not caused a reduction in the number of visitors on cruise ships. Many locals have been forced to out of Venice and go a live on the mainland due to high housing costs, which have been fuelled by Airbnb as well as a lack of services. That migration, along with the deaths of an ageing population, has seen the city's population drop by around 10,000 in the past decade. Figures from 2022 show it dropped below 50,000 and currently stands at 48,342 people. The activist group has won a six-year lease for the island seeing off its competitors which included the mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro, who wanted to build on the land. The group used the slogan '€99 for 99 years' and asked Venetians to dip into their pockets to help preserve the island from development. More than 4,600 people donated. One of the founders of Poveglia for Everyone, Patrizia Veclani, said: 'We woke up with a nest egg of €460,000 and a community full of high-level professional skills.' The group will pay just a little more than €1,000 a year for the renewable lease. Joining forces with the group is the University of Verona who will monitor the project's environmental and social impact. It said its aim was to regenerate the northern part of the island 'transforming it into a lagoon urban park open to citizens and respectful of the ecosystem and the landscape elements that characterise the lagoon'. Veclani told The Times the university's involvement had played an important part in convincing the Italian national land agency, which runs under the control of the Ministry of Economy, to grant them the lease. She told the paper: 'Having an academic analysis of the impact is very important for us. 'It means we can be a model for others and there are many more like us throughout Italy.' Having won the lease, the activists now face a number of challenges. The island doesn't have any electricity or water. There is also no satisfactory pier to provide boats to dock. The kitchen garden, which had once gained a name for itself for its peaches, has been allowed to run wild. Veclani said: 'Nature has reclaimed it. 'But with the advice of botanists we are considering what appropriate plants can be reinstated. We are lucky to be able to call on many experts. 'The sharing of knowledge has been wonderful. What's important is that it is returning to the city, rather than becoming the umpteenth luxury hotel.' Brugnaro, who is being investigated for corruption and has denied the accusations, wished the group well. He said: 'I am on holiday but I can tell you that I am very happy with this solution.' 5 5

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store