Pope visits papal villa in Castel Gandolfo. Will he summer there?

May 30, 2025

Pope Leo XIV made an unexpected trip to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandalfo on May 29.

The main reason for the Pope's trip was to visit the Borgo Laudato Si', an "integral ecology" project on the site, which was launched by Pope Francis.

However the papal visit also stirred questions about whether Pope Leo would take a summer vacation at Castel Gandalfo, as previous Pontiffs had done. Pope Francis had not taken vacations, spending his summers in Rome, and in 2016 had converted the apostolic palace at Castel Gandalfo into a museum. The little community on the shore of Lake Albano suffered a severe economic downturn due to the Pope's absence, and residents are hoping that Pope Leo will resume the traditional papal vacation there, bringing crowds into the town for his Sunday audiences.

Pope Leo has not yet indicated whether or not he plans a vacation at Castel Gandalfo. Nor has he determined whether he will take up permanent residence on the apostolic palace at the Vatican.

 

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