Spanish
Vatican City, June 17 (EFE).- Leo XIV will spend his vacation, from July 6 to 20, in the town of Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, resuming the tradition of previous pontiffs interrupted by Francis, who preferred to stay at Casa Santa Marta, the Pontifical Prefecture reported on Tuesday.
The Pope will move, on the afternoon of Sunday, July 6, to the so-called Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, the area of the gardens where there is a small residence, since Francis decided that the main palace should become a museum.
Despite the holiday period, on Sunday, July 13, he will celebrate Mass in the pontifical parish of Santo Tomás de Villanueva in Castel Gandolfo and then at 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT) he will pray the Angelus prayer in Freedom Square in front of the Apostolic Palace, as his predecessors used to do.
On Sunday, July 20, he will celebrate mass in the cathedral of Albano, near Castel Gandolfo, to return again to the Angelus prayer in Freedom Square and in the afternoon he will return to the Vatican.
During the month of July, all private audiences will be suspended, as well as the general audiences on Wednesdays, which will resume from July 30 in St. Peter's Square.
In August, the Pope will return to Castel Gandolfo on Friday 15th for a mass and the Angelus prayer and on Sunday 17th for, again, the Marian prayer and that same afternoon he will return to the Vatican.
Leo XIV has chosen to stay in Castel Gandolfo to escape the heat, thus reviving an old tradition that was only interrupted in the pontificate of Francis, with one single difference compared to the past: Robert Prevost, instead of residing in the Pontifical Palace, as has always been done since the time of Urban VIII, will have to resort to Villa Barberini.
Villa Barberini is located in the gardens and has undergone a major interior renovation to make it usable, given that it has been uninhabited for at least twelve years, according to the newspaper 'Il Messaggero'.
In recent weeks, the necessary works have been carried out to restore and enable the swimming pool, the same one where John Paul II used to swim during his vacations, adds the Roman media, which reveals that the problem may be security since Villa Barnerini is practically next to the road and, on one of its sides, has clearly visible windows.
The inhabitants of Castel Gandolfo awaited the announcement with great enthusiasm, as a pontiff has not visited them for twelve years, which will also cause tourism and commercial income to skyrocket in the small town.
