For 400 years, as Rome sizzled under the summer sun, most popes found solace in a cooler pontifical palace in the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles southwest of Rome. John Paul II and Benedict XVI set up camp there for several months each year to rest, but also work.
Then along came Pope Francis.
He traveled there three times in 2013, the year he was elected, twice to say Mass and once to visit his predecessor, Benedict, who loved Castel Gandolfo so much that he briefly retired there after leaving the papacy.
He never went back.
“We were orphaned,” said Maurizio Carosi, one of many residents who confessed to being dismayed by Francis’ decision.
It’s no surprise, then, that the announcement last month that Pope Leo XIV would be staying in Castel Gandolfo for two weeks in July — “for a period of rest” — was met with excitement, relief and a burst of last-minute renovations on papal properties. He is expected to arrive on Sunday.
“The Vatican is part of the DNA of our city; it is a second Vatican” because of the pope and the dignitaries who would visit him here, said Alberto De Angelis, the mayor. “You can’t imagine St. Peter’s without the pope, and you can’t imagine Castel Gandolfo without the pope,” he added, referring to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Other local residents were equally enthusiastic.
The pope’s planned return has “given the town a spark,” said Stefano Carosi, Maurizio’s brother and owner of a bar in the town’s main square. “What was missing in these 12 years was the global visibility that the pope gives Castel Gandolfo when he recites the Angelus,” he said, speaking of the prayer and blessing that the pontiff recites every Sunday and that is broadcast around the world.
“It’s invaluable publicity,” he added.
For some, Leo’s decision to resume the longstanding papal tradition was seen as an example of his setting himself apart from Pope Francis and his workaholic approach to his papacy (though Leo’s schedule has been plenty busy).
“Praise be to Pope Prevost,” Giuseppe De Lorenzo wrote in the conservative newspaper Il Giornale. He said Leo was abandoning Francis’ “useless pauperism.”
And Mark Silk, a contributing editor of the Religion News Service and a professor at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., noted in an article that while he loved Pope Francis as a “paladin of the poor and the immigrant, defender of the Earth,” he said that “the guy was a bit of a Debbie Downer.” He added that Leo’s predecessor had lived “nose to the grindstone, day after day, year after year. No vacations for him.”
Certainly, the residents — and the merchants — of Castel Gandolfo are onboard with papal relaxation. Leo’s imminent arrival has sparked a flurry of activity in the pontifical villas and gardens, which cover a triangle-shaped patch of land totaling about 135 acres and stretching from Castel Gandolfo to the neighboring town of Albano. Even the building that will host the Swiss Guards accompanying the pope has been revamped.
Rumors swirled in the Italian news media that a new padel court was in the works and that horses would be brought in so that Leo could indulge in his passion for riding. The Vatican confirmed only that a tennis court was being constructed. There would be no padel court, the Vatican said, and there was no word on horses.
Perched above the deep-blue volcanic Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo has long been a draw for those seeking a reprieve from Rome’s heat and urban bustle. It is one of several picturesque towns that make up what is known as the Castelli Romani.
The Emperor Domitian built a renowned villa in the first century, while the papacy first laid claim to Castel Gandolfo in 1596, making it an official papal residence 30 years later. The renowned Baroque architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini later added to the existing palazzo, and over the years, new lots of land with their villas were acquired and elaborate gardens developed.
Since then, most popes have made yearly migrations to the palace. Many residents say they have treasured, personal memories of past papal sightings and the dignitaries who were in tow.
“It was special in Castel Gandolfo — I remember seeing prelates, presidents of the Republic” and other potentates strolling through town, including former President George W. Bush, said Luciano Mariani, 82, a hotel owner. He remembers as a child watching Pope Pius XII — the first of six popes he says he has encountered — passing by the family hotel when he arrived in Castel Gandolfo by car.
Stories about papal doings in the area abound.
Pope Paul VI is remembered for building churches and schools. Benedict wrote a children’s book about the goldfish in a pond in the gardens. And photos taken surreptitiously of John Paul II swimming in a pool on the papal compound made headlines after a failed attempt to suppress them. One fear was that the unconventional images — a pope in a bathing suit! — could provoke scandal in conservative Poland, his home country.
The Rev. Tadeusz Rozmus — known as “Don Biker” because he drives a Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle — was one of many rejoicing in Leo’s imminent arrival. “The pope’s return marks the continuation of history of Castel Gandolfo, which has been tied to popes for 400 years,” said Father Rozmus, the parish priest of the local church where Leo will celebrate Mass on July 13.
Even as they praised the change in papal direction, some local business leaders noted that Francis might have done something even more positive for the economy than visiting. He opened the pontifical gardens to the public for the first time in 2014, and two years later, he opened the pontifical palace, the villa where most popes have stayed.
That had a huge effect on tourism, business owners say, attracting more visitors year-round. In 2023, more than 200,000 people visited, according to the Vatican.
They come and they stay longer, said Assunta Ferrini, the owner of a restaurant that in years past provided takeout pizza to papal entourages.
Leo is continuing in Francis’ footsteps by allowing the pontifical palace and gardens to remain open to the public, even when he is in residence because he will be staying at another palazzo in the grounds.
Still, some local entrepreneurs are concerned that the pope’s presence will not be the business blessing others anticipate.
“He’s the first citizen of Castel Gandolfo, and his presence honors us,” said Giulio Mariani, the owner of one of the several restaurants along the pedestrian-only street that leads to the main square. But the city, preparing for Leo’s arrival, said the street needed to be clear for pilgrims for the Sunday noon blessing, making it hard to set up outdoor tables for lunch.
Mr. Mariani grumbled that the only people who would benefit would be those selling souvenirs, rosaries and bottled water in the main square.
Sitting at a cafe/souvenir shop he co-owns with his wife and children on that square, Maurizio Carosi was not so sure how much of a boon Leo’s visit would be just yet.
So far, the only Leo paraphernalia he has to hawk is a book on the Roman Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee that originally had Francis on the cover. Over that, the publisher has slipped a new cover featuring Leo.
Elisabetta Povoledo is a Times reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years.
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