Pope Benedict ended Monday a 10-day holiday on the foothills of Italy's Dolomite Alps - a sanctuary located in the northeasternAlto Adige region, home to the country's German-speaking minority.Benedict left Bressanone, the town which hosted him during his vacation, and travelled to Bolzano from where he bordered a plane for Rome.
The 81-year-old pontiff was expected to arrive in the Italian capital in the evening and then to proceed to the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo south of Rome.
In one of his few public appearances during his vacation, Benedict on Saturday attended a ceremony in which he was made a honorary citizen of Bressanone, a town of 20,000 inhabitants.
The pontiff began his holiday after returning from an intense 10-day visit to Australia in July where he presided over World Youth Day celebrations.
In April Benedict made a groundbreaking visit to the United States that included a White House meeting with President George W Bush and a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
A busy schedule also attends the pontiff during the second half of 2008.
Included is a trip to Cagliari, Sardinia scheduled for September 7, following which, Benedict is set to travel to France from September 12-15 with visits to Paris and and Lourdes.
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