After the whirlwind of his election and a nonstop round of public and private meetings ever since, Pope Leo XIV has chosen to take some time to rest and recharge. Choosing where to take his vacation was a simple decision.
For centuries popes have spent their summers in the papal palace and gardens of Castel Gandolfo, a town nestled in the hills above Lake Albano. The small town, approximately 15 miles southeast of Rome, is 1,400 feet above sea level and provides an escape from the sweltering summer heat of the Eternal City.
This is where the first American pope is going to spend two weeks this month, having arrived on Sunday, before returning for several days over the Feast of the Assumption on August 15, which is Italy’s national holiday of Ferragosto.
During the Second World War, the papal summer residence provided refuge for Jewish refugees and more recently was the setting for “The Two Popes,” the Netflix movie that explores the differing visions for the church’s future of Benedict XVI and his successor Francis.
It’s a peaceful oasis that offers majestic views over the deep blue lake with those visiting the area overlooking Albano sometimes calling it an anticamera del paradiso — an antechamber of paradise.
