After the whirlwind of his election and a nonstop round of public and private meetings ever since, Pope Leo XIV has chosen to take some time to rest and recharge. Choosing where to take his vacation was a simple decision.

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday heads to the papal summer residence for a six-week vacation, giving the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo back its most illustrious resident after Pope Francis stayed away during his 12-year pontificate.

The area around Lake Albano has been a favourite getaway for Roman rulers since the time of the Emperor Domitian in the first century. Pope Urban VIII built the papal palace in Castel Gandolfo in 1624, and it was enlarged over succeeding pontificates to its present size of 55 hectares - bigger than Vatican City itself.