Pope Leo’s visit to the hilltop town after 12 years has revived a 400-year-long tradition, followed by popes dating back to Pope Urban VIII in the 17th century. Here is what to know

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — 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 away during his 12-year pontificate.

Almost 13 years have passed since a pope spent part of his summer at the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town overlooking Lake Albano, just outside Rome. So, when Pope Leo XIV arrived at the Barberini Palace on Sunday (July 6),