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The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
Pope Leo's trip to picturesque lake town revives centuries-old papal tradition
A long-dormant papal tradition is set for revival this Sunday as Pope Leo XIV embarks on a summer retreat to Castel Gandolfo, a move that has ignited hopes of a significant tourism boom for the picturesque lakeside town. This decision marks a notable departure from the tenure of his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who famously avoided such breaks. Pope Leo, who ascended to the papacy on 8 May following Francis's death, will spend two weeks, from 6-20 July, at the historic residence. Nestled just an hour's drive south of Rome, the tranquil hill town, home to approximately 8,900 residents, overlooks the serene waters of Lake Albano. The Vatican has held ownership of a grand papal palace in the town, complete with extensive Renaissance -style gardens, since 1596. However, the last pontiff to use the residence for a summer holiday did so 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. 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. 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!"
Reuters
03-07-2025
- Reuters
Taking a break, Pope Leo revives centuries-old tradition
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, July 3 (Reuters) - Pope Leo will revive a centuries-old tradition on Sunday by taking a holiday at Castel Gandolfo, where residents of the lakeside town hope for a tourism boost after the late Pope Francis shunned taking a summer break. Leo, elected pope on May 8 after the death of Francis, will spend July 6-20 an hour's drive south of Rome in the sleepy hill town of about 8,900 residents on the shores of Lake Albano. The town's mayor and business owners hope his stay - the first by a pope in 12 years - will attract tourists hoping to see the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican has owned a papal palace in the town, including vast Renaissance-style gardens, since 1596, but Francis, who shunned much of the pomp and privilege of the papacy, chose not to take vacations, spending the summer in his Vatican residence. "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. 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 July 13 and 20. 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 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit). 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. 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!"
CBS News
03-07-2025
- CBS News
Pope Leo XIV revives centuries-old vacation tradition, bringing hope of a tourist boom to Castel Gandolfo
Pope Leo XIV will resurrect a tradition that is more than 400 years old on Sunday when he heads out of Vatican City for a summer vacation at Castel Gandolfo. Pontiffs have sought refuge from the summer heat at the lakeside town about an hour south of Rome for centuries, but the late Pope Francis abandoned the tradition during his 12-years at the Vatican. Leo's looming visit has raised hopes of a new boost for tourism in the small town. He will be there from July 6 until July 20, according to an article published last month by the Vatican's official news outlet. As the first pope to visit the village on the shores of Lake Albano — home to only about 8,900 people — in over a decade, Leo has Castel Gandolfo's mayor and business owners hoping that other tourists will follow, perhaps even trying to overlap to catch a glimpse of the pontiff. Tourists visit Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, Italy, June 29, 2024. Li Jing/Xinhua/Getty Pope Francis, who died in April, shunned many of the trappings and splendor that the papacy can convey, deciding to spend his summers at his humble Vatican residence instead of venturing to Gandolfo. While he's there, Chicago-born Pope Leo will stay at a walled-off building owned by the Vatican — not at the traditional papal residence in the town, the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. "Pope Leo has given us a wonderful gift," Stefano Carosi, the owner of a local coffee shop, told the Reuters news agency. "The pope has always been important here… because he attracts people." Pope Leo XIV delivers his blessing during the Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, June 29, 2025. Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Castel Gandolfo Mayor Alberto De Angelis told Reuters that locals were ecstatic about the papal visit. "The presence of the popes in Castel Gandolfo has always meant a lot of activity, a lot of economic growth," he said. Leo will likely remain out of public view for much of his visit, behind the walls of the papal residence, but he is slated to make appearances on July 13 and 20, to attend religious celebrations in the town. Popes have vacationed at Castel Gandolfo for years in the summer, taking advantage of its 1,400 feet of altitude next to the lake to seek cooler climes than in Rome, where an early summer European heat wave has already driven temperatures to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A file photo shows the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sept. 6, 2022. Manuel Romano/NurPhoto/Getty Leo won't stay at the papal palace, which, along with its ornate Renaissance-style gardens, was first acquired by the Vatican in 1596 as a debt payment from an aristocratic family. Pope Francis turned the palace into a museum during his papacy, opening its gardens to tourists. The museum will remain open during Leo's visit. While Francis never stayed at Castel Gandolfo, residents say his decision to open the palace as a public museum has benefited the community. The owner of a mosaic studio in the lakeside town, Marina Rossi, said tourists now come much more frequently, as opposed to only coming during the summer to see the pope. "It was more of a hit-and-run tourism, because there was the audience and then they would leave," she told Reuters. "Now there is a steady flow of tourism throughout the whole year." Rossi said the return of the Catholic leader to the town would give Castel Gandolfo a chance to draw even more tourists. "It's an important moment," she said. "I won't hide my happiness."
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Hill town Pope Leo chose for his holiday set for tourism boost
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. 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. 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!"
