After the whirlwind of his election, Pope Leo XIV has decamped to Castel Gondolfo to escape the heat of Rome and enjoy a summer vacation, like many popes before him.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in the papal summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo on Sunday to start a six-week vacation, giving the hilltop town back its most illustrious resident after Pope Francis stayed

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday restarted a papal tradition, leaving the Vatican for the summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo. The small town about 15 miles south of the Vatican has hosted popes for the summer dating back to the 1600s, but Pope Francis never took a summer vacation during his 12-year papacy.