Pope Leo takes a holiday at Castel Gandolfo, revives centuries-old tradition

July 6 ------ Pope Leo will revive a centuries-old tradition on Sunday (July 6) by taking a holiday at Castel Gandolfo, where residents of the lakeside town hope for a tourism boost after the late Pope Francis shunned taking a summer break.

Leo, elected pope on May 8 after the death of Francis, will spend July 6-20 an hour's drive south of Rome in the sleepy hill town of about 8,900 residents on the shores of Lake Albano. The town's mayor and business owners hope his stay - the first by a pope in 12 years - will attract tourists hoping to see the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican has owned a papal palace in the town, including vast Renaissance-style gardens, since 1596, but Francis, who shunned much of the pomp and privilege of the papacy, chose not to take vacations, spending the summer in his Vatican residence.

"Pope Leo has given us a wonderful gift," Stefano Carosi, the owner of a coffee shop on the town's main square, said. "The pope has always been important here because he attracts people."

Mayor Alberto De Angelis said residents were excited about the visit. "The presence of the popes in Castel Gandolfo has always meant a lot of activity, a lot of economic growth," he said. While Leo is expected to spend most of his vacation out of the public eye, staying in a Vatican-owned building behind a gated wall, residents and tourists will have the opportunity to see him at religious celebrations on July 13 and 20.

Dozens of popes have spent the summer months at Castel Gandolfo, where it is cooler than in Rome, which has been sweltering in an early summer heatwave with temperatures reaching more than 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit).

Source: news.abs-cbn.com