Pope Benedict XVI returned to his Alpine summer retreat to continue his holiday Friday after an operation on a broken right wrist.A smiling and relaxed pope waved to well-wishers with his left hand as he left hospital, onlookers said, although only a small number of people had collected in front of the building.
Benedict was helped into a car by his personal secretary, Msgr Georg Gaenswein, and again waved at journalists through an open window as they drove back to his chalet in the mountain village of Les Combes di Introd.
The surgeon who operated on the pontiff, under local anaesthetic, said he would be able to play the piano again without problems when he recovers from the broken wrist.
''He'll be able to use his right hand perfectly, play the piano, write,'' Dr Amedeo Emmanuel Mancini said.
It is widely known that the pope not only likes listening to piano music, but he also loves to play the instrument - an activity which is said to soothe his nerves. According to the Vatican, the 82-year-old pontiff has recently been ''going through a Mozart phase,'' although his favourite composer remained Bach.
The pope comes from a musical family. His brother, Georg Ratzinger, was for many years choir master in Regensburg, home to one of Europe's most famous boy's choirs.
Politicians and clerics sent their best wishes for the pope's speedy recovery.
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