The Vatican confirmed on June 17 that Pope Leo XIV has decided to resume the papal tradition, suspended by Pope Francis, of spending his summer holidays in Castel Gandolfo.

And, yes, in case you were wondering, the 135-acre papal estate there — which includes three residences, a working farm and formal gardens — has a tennis court, where the new Pope can tune up his reportedly formidable backhand.

Leo XIV will stay at Castel Gandolfo, a town of 9,000 people located 15 miles southeast of Rome, July 6-20 and again Aug. 15-17. 

Since the 17th century, popes have spent part of their summer vacations at the Castel Gandolfo estate, situated at a higher elevation that provides a respite from Rome’s scorching heat. Pope Francis, however, broke with this tradition and transformed the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo into a museum complex and the farm into a project for integral ecology, known as the Borgo Laudato Si.

Leo XIV’s decision to vacation there is the latest in a series of moves that embrace the traditions of the papacy. These include his use of the mozzetta and stole as the official papal attire — a practice Pope Francis chose not to adopt. 

Apostolic Palace Residence

Leo also plans to take up residence in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, once preparations are made there after 12 years of disuse under Francis, who lived in the Santa Marta guesthouse instead. In addition, the Pope will participate in the traditional Corpus Christi procession, which takes place June 22 from the Basilica of St. John Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. This tradition was interrupted when Pope Francis chose to celebrate Corpus Christi in the suburbs of Rome. 

These decisions also come in response to the request for unity made of the Pope by the cardinals who participated in the general congregations before his election. This unity is also nourished by a very special relationship that the pope has with the people of Rome and the people of Castel Gandolfo. It is a popular and traditional bond that made the pope the bishop of Rome. 

On May 29, Pope Leo visited Borgo Laudato Si and took a tour of the gardens of the Pontifical Villas, becoming familiar with a place that had last hosted papal vacations in 2019, when Benedict XVI, as pope emeritus, spent a period of rest there with the approval of Pope Francis.

Because it would be too complicated to renovate the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo in time for this visit, Leo will stay at the Palazzo Barberini, which remains in good condition.

The Pope’s return to Castel Gandolfo would restore one of the many ties the popes had with the local population. On the day of the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, Aug. 15 — a national holiday in Italy — the tradition in Castel Gandolfo was that the pope would walk from the Apostolic Palace to the town church and celebrate Mass there. The church is entrusted to the Salesians but is named after St. Thomas of Villanova, an Augustinian like the current Pope.

Leo will celebrate Mass for the Assumption at St. Thomas and lead the Sunday Angelus on Aug. 17 before returning to the Vatican.

Tradition That Dates to 1623

The deep and enduring bond between the popes and Castel Gandolfo dates to 1623. Pope Urban VIII was the first pontiff to stay in the residence of Castel Gandolfo.

The town was built around the castle built by the Genoese Gandolfi family on one of the hills surrounding Rome and was later under the dominion of the Savelli family. In July 1596, the Apostolic Chamber, the Vatican institution that administered the assets of the Holy See, acquired ownership of Castel Gandolfo from the Savelli family to settle a debt the family owed to the Holy See. In 1604, Castel Gandolfo was declared an inalienable patrimony of the Holy See.

The pontifical villas have been very much part of papal life in the last century. John Paul II used the estate not only as a summer residence, but also as a place where he could go anytime he needed some peace. However, the other popes used to go quite often.

Among them was Pope St. John XXIII. Saverio Petrillo, who was director of the pontifical villas from 1958 to 2008, said in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano that John XXIII “would leave through one of the gates of the villas, without telling anyone and without an escort.” 

One day, the staff of the villas learned that the Pope was spotted first in Anzio and later Nettuno (two coastal towns not far from Castel Gandolfo). Another time, John XXIII slipped off to Genazzano, where he risked being crushed because of the affection of the crowd once they recognized him. (Incidentally, Genazzano was the location of Leo XIV’s first trip outside the Vatican walls.)

Piano at Night

During his summer holidays there, Benedict XVI used to play the piano at night, sometimes in the company of his brother, Georg. Benedict especially enjoyed spending time at the farm, walking and praying. Sometimes, he got lost and was late for dinner. When that happened, he called for a ride to take him to the dining room quickly, the shortest route being to leave the compound and pass by the public square to get back in. Villagers loved to see him and were discreet about his presence.

Pius XII was the first pope to die at Castel Gandolfo, in 1958. Paul VI likewise took his last breaths there, in 1978. 

The papal villas are also part of the history of the conclave that elected him. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini left for Castel Gandolfo in the days before the conclave, to escape the curiosity of journalists who claimed he was going to be the next pope.

John Paul II also went to Castel Gandolfo before the conclave that elected him, to stay isolated and pray. He also had lunch with Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur at a restaurant right outside the villas. Later, during a papal audience, John Paul II recognized the owner of the restaurant and went off script to thank her for “the exquisite fettuccine.”

It was John Paul II who had a swimming pool built at Castel Gandolfo, for health and fitness reasons, famously quipping that it was cheaper than the cost of another conclave when someone groused about the expense.