The close relationship between the popes and the beautiful lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, 30 km from Rome dates back 400 years, when pope Urban VIII Barberini chose this idyllic place on gentle vine-covered hills for his summer residence. Since then, many popes have spent their holiday here, writing with their remarkable presence, the history of the Church and the world. Like during World War II, when Pope Pius XII converted the palace into a shelter for thousands of Jews.

“That pope, Eugenio Pacelli, was a saint according to my mother, because he opened the doors of the Palace to ordinary people and he stayed here for six months with them. Then we had Paul VI who commissioned the construction of the schools for us, he built houses here, and Pope Benedict made his last blessing as Pope also here, on February 28, 2013.”

Stefano Carosi, a native of Castel Gandolfo, is the sixth generation of his family to run a bar in the heart of the town, a tradition that began in 1870.

The weight of memories tied to the popes is so great, it brings a lump to his throat:

“It was the evening of August 6, 1978, and at one point we saw an ambulance come rushing in here, and after half an hour the bells rang, and my father told me this is the bell that rings when the pope dies, on that evening he (Paul VI) died here.”

But it was especially the long pontificate of Saint John Paul II to leave an indelible mark in the hearts of the local people. Carosi noted:

“He was in love with Castel Gandolfo. He would come after Christmas, he would come on Easter Monday, on his return from long trips, I remember well when one night he came to the palace straight from Mexico at 11 o'clock at night. There were a hundred people down here. They called him and he looked out to bless them. John Paul II is unique, he is our history, He is our family, He belongs to us.”

Now, 12 years after Pope Francis had decided not to spend his summertime here, his successor, Leo XIV, is coming back, beginning the holiday period in Castel Gandolfo on Sunday, July 6th.

Mayor of Castel Gandolfo Alberto De Angelis shared, “You can experience the atmosphere of excitement, a very special enthusiasm, the whole town is happy to see so many people coming back from all parts of the world! For us it is something really beautiful, because the people of Castel Gandolfo, in spite of their innate shyness, are very friendly to welcoming all citizens of the world as we have always been used to during the pope’s stay.”

For the first time since the pontificate of Pius XI in 1929, the pope will not stay in the Apostolic Palace which in 2016 was transformed by Pope Francis in a publicly accessible museum.

For the next two weeks, from the 6th to the 20th of July, Leo XIV will reside in the spectacular Villa Barberini, built by a nephew of Urban VIII in 1628 and immersed in the greenery of sprawling gardens.

Carosi noted, “Villa Barberini, I think there’s not much that needs to be done, really, since it has always been well maintained. They had to update some facilities that hadn’t been used in recent years. Maybe it just needs a bit of painting, but Villa Barberini is beautiful just as it is.”

While the pope will stay in the garden area, the Pontifical Swiss guard - papal security corps - will occupy the back part of the apostolic palace.

“They’re getting everything ready — even the barracks. They’ve practically razed it to the ground and are completely rebuilding the Swiss Guard barracks,” highlighted Carosi.

The Vatican employees have been working hard for several weeks now in a huge area of Castel Gandolfo covering 55 hectares (136 acres), that has belonged to the Vatican City State as its extraterritorial part since the Lateran Treaty of 1929.

“We are seeing these days that there is a buzz, many workers all around cleaning, cutting grass, and a lot of movement in the gardens,” Carosi shared. “There is also the swimming pool being worked on and a small tennis court will come out next to the pool.”

Pope Leo XIV is passionate for sports — he used to go to the gym in Rome three times a week — so the summer in Castel Gandolfo will be the perfect time for him to swim and play tennis. But it will be a time of hard work as well, as it has always been for the popes.

Carosi shared a story from the Pontificate of St. John Paul II, “It’s not that they were always resting — the popes were constantly working in view of their return to the Vatican. September, in particular, was a busy month, with the presentation of credentials, Masses, and visiting presidents. John Paul II was always, always at work. We would see the light on in his study window as early as 4:30 in the morning — which meant a very early wake-up.”

On Sunday, July 13th at noon, Pope Leo XIV will meet with the faithful for the Angelus prayer in the main square of the town, after celebrating mass at the nearby church of Saint Thomas of Villanova.

Fr. Tadeusz Rozmus, the parish’s priest, added, “It is a source of pride and joy for me to be here as a priest, and even more so as the pastor of the papal parish, because this is one of only two papal parishes. The other is St. Anne’s in the Vatican. The popes have always been present here—one could say that Castel Gandolfo is united, even wedded, to the presence of the popes. That’s why the return of Pope Leo is a celebration for all of us.”

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Adapted by Jacob Stein

Produced by Alexey Gotovsky; Camera by Sergio Natoli; Video Edited by Giuseppe Duca