Pope Leo resumes papal tradition and escapes Rome’s summer heat to the nearby Castel Gandolfo

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will resume the papal tradition of taking a summer break outside Rome, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.

Leo will transfer to the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, from July 6-20 “for a period of rest” and again for a few days over the Catholic Assumption feast day in August, the Vatican said. Leo visited the papal summer palace last month, raising speculation that he would resume a tradition that goes back centuries.

Pope Urban VIII built the palace in 1624 to give popes an escape from the sweltering Roman summer. It was enlarged over succeeding pontificates to its present size of 55 hectares (136 acres), bigger than Vatican City itself.

Pope Francis, who died just after Easter, was known as a workaholic homebody who never took a proper vacation during his 12-year papacy, staying at the Vatican even during the hot summer months. Both of Francis’ immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, spent time at Castel Gandolfo, interspersed with visits to the northern Italian Alps.

Benedict was especially fond of Castel Gandolfo, closing his papacy out there in 2013.

Partly to offset an economic downturn in the local town due to the papal absence, Francis opened the palazzo’s gardens to the public in 2014 and later turned part of it into a museum.

In what will be a boon to the local community, Leo is resuming the traditional Angelus blessing to the faithful gathered in front of Castel Gandolfo on July 13 and July 20, and again on Aug. 15 and Aug. 17, when he returns for a short stay over Italy’s most important summer holiday.

Public and private audiences at the Vatican will be suspended for most of July, resuming on July 30.