Pope Leo XIV restores tradition of spending summer holidays at Castel Gandolfo – LifeSite
Tue Jun 17, 2025 – 9:43 am EDT
(LifeSiteNews) — The Successor St. Peter is returning to Castel Gandolfo at last.
On Tuesday morning, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV will be visiting “the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo for a period of rest” between July 6 and 20. According to Vatican correspondent Diane Montagna, he is thus “resuming the practise of John Paul II and Benedict XVI.”
According to Vatican News, Leo will also return to Castel Gandolfo, the traditional holiday home of the Supreme Pontiff, for the Feast of the Assumption on August 15, arguably Italy’s most important feast day, when the heat of Rome drives many locals to take refuge in the mountains or by the sea.
JUST IN: #Vatican announces that Pope Leo XIV “will transfer to the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo for a period of rest” from July 6-20, thus resuming the practice of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He will return to Castel Gandolfo August 15-17 for the Solemnity of the… pic.twitter.com/QHgIgW3J58
— Diane Montagna (@dianemontagna) June 17, 2025
The Vatican added, “During the month of July, all private audiences are suspended, as are the general audiences on Wednesday the 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd. General audiences will resume on Wednesday, July 30.”
The late pontiff, Pope Francis, chose not to spend summer holidays in Castel Gandolfo but to remain at his Vatican City home, Casa Santa Marta. Instead, he opened it to the fee-paying public. In 2016, Reuters published an article giving voice to the unhappiness of the mayor of the tourism-dependent town with Francis’ decision. “It will be a tombstone for us if future popes follow his example,”said Milvia Monachesi.
The papal estate at Castel Gandolfo has been owned by the Vatican since 1596 and has been used by popes as a summer home since Urban VIII’s first sojourn there in 1626.
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