Summer freshness: Pope returns in summer residence Castel Gandolfo

There is still a small Bayern flag on the desk, the white-blue diamonds. There is also the “Lexicon for Theology and Church” in German, ten volumes, including the register and additional volume. As if the German Pope Benedict XVI, died on New Year’s Eve 2022, could still come to the office in the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. Not much is happening here.

But after twelve years of hibernation, it is now over with the calm in the 9,000-soul town southeast of Rome. Today a Pope returns to Castel Gandolfo again: the new Pontifex Leo XIV, two months in office, moves into his summer residence – just like almost all of the Catholic Church inhabitants for four centuries.

Francis stayed in the Vatican during the summer

Not one not: his immediate predecessor Francis. The Argentinian always spent the summer in the Vatican, in his apartment in the Santa Marta guest house – just as he never went on vacation as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. “That’s not my kind,” he said once. “I prefer to rest at home.” In addition, this was part of the self -evident modesty for the man.

As for the programmatic, Francis has so far followed the line of his predecessor. However, the first Pope from the United States resumes another tradition with which the Argentine had broken: just as he wears ornate, the golden breast cross, larger cars and wants to move back into the Vatican to the Papstemanian with the vacation in Castel Gandolfo. However, the rooms still have to be renovated after the long vacancy.

And now also to Castel Gandolfo, into the mountains above the Alban lake, half an hour of auto from Rome. In summer freshness, air is more bearable than in the capital, where the temperatures have been moving to 40 degrees for weeks. The Papal Palace in the province has belonged to the Vatican since 1596. Later there were two more villas. The area is even ten hectares larger than the Vatican City.

The first Pontifex, which took a break here in July and August, was called Urban VIII (1623-1644). Since then, the palace has been used by the popes. Pole Johannes Paul II (1978-2005) even had a swimming pool built – and promptly made headlines because Paparazzi caught him in swimming trunks. After his surprising resignation, Benedikt even retired to Castel Gandolfo for a while.

Visitors can still go to the Apostolic Palace

From this time, one of the few photos with Francis, which exist from there: the old and the new Pope made a kind of handover in the palace in 2013. Benedikt spent the last years of life in the Vatican City. Francis had the palace declared a museum in 2016. Now tourists are also allowed in.

However, since Castel Gandolfo was no longer the center of Catholic events in the summer, hardly any visitors made their way there. Hoteliers, innkeepers and souvenir dealers are now hoping for better business again. However, it is not really progressing: in the palace you nowhere notice that there is a new pontiff. Francis is still alive on the pedigree of the Popes. And the souvenir dealers complain that there are still no postcards with Leo.

Swimming pool, tennis court and Boccia-Platz

According to a report by the “Corriere della Sera”, the new Pope has already had a tennis court created: the 69-year-old is still playing. In addition to the swimming pool, there is also a Boccia square. Of course, Leo will not live in the museum, but in Villa Barberini, an outbuilding in the city center. On Thursday he came by unannounced.

Obviously, Leo actually wants to take it easy for the next two weeks. He had all audience canceled. The new head of 1.4 billion Catholics had made many appointments for the first two months in office to take care of internal things: in the curia, the church’s power apparatus, there was some resentment about Francis. So far, he has dispensed with abroad. He also gave a single, meaningless interview.

Sunday prayer not on St. Peter’s Square

Leo has some appointments for the next two weeks. So he wants to speak the everyday Angelus prayer, which is normally tens of thousands of St. Peter’s Square in Castel Gandolfo next week. On July 20, we will go back to Rome for a while. The Mariä skyfit weekend on August 15th, highlight of the holiday season in Italy, he spends again in the summer residence. He then wants to celebrate the fair in the parish church.

A decision is still pending: whether the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo remains open to visits. The director of the papal villas, Andrea Tamburelli, says: “The decision about his future lies with the Pope.” Many in the town expect Leo to use the palace as accommodation from next summer, like most predecessors. The Bavarian flag on the desk would then come away.