A few weeks after Leo XIV's election, his brother John Prevost told the press that the Pope intended to make Castel Gandolfo again into the papal second home, and even more than his predecessors.
The green oasis located about 18 miles from Rome would become “a permanent fixture” of this pontificate, promised John, a brother and close confidant within the family of the Head of the Catholic Church.
A papal tradition
And indeed, within a few months, “Leo's Tuesdays” became an institution. Every Monday at the end of the day, the Pontiff leaves the Vatican in his black van. Accompanied by gendarmes and Swiss guards, the Pope heads to Castel Gandolfo, adjacent to the Castelli Romani regional park — a large nature reserve encompassing more than 60 square miles — for his day of rest.
On Tuesdays, there are no audiences on the popes' agendas: his predecessors before him had made this a day of respite, since, as is the case for every priest, Sundays tend to be busy.
Francis didn’t leave the Vatican, John Paul II treated himself to excursions in the mountains ... Leo XIV, for his part, plays tennis with his Peruvian secretary and goes swimming.
The high walls of Castel Gandolfo conceal dozens of acres of countryside, including a covered tennis court and a swimming pool built during the Polish pope's time, which has recently been renovated for the residence's new occupant, Aleteia has learned.
Changes have taken place since the last popes who came here on vacation. Pope Francis decided to convert the apostolic palace of Castel Gandolfo into a museum, and the new pontiff took up residence in a nearby building, Villa Barberini.
Resting but not inactive
Last fall, responding to questions from journalists waiting for him as he left Castel Gandolfo, the Pope said that his Tuesday “day off” was not synonymous with idleness or complete disconnection. The reality is that he continues to deal with urgent correspondence and take phone calls.
However, “it's really an opportunity to relax, and he doesn't have to wear his papal robes all the time,” said his brother John.
At 2 p.m., the Pope reserves his garden for private use. The gates are closed to tourists and the 267th pontiff devotes himself to his favorite hobbies.
In addition to tennis, reliable sources whisper that he has taken up horse riding again, which he already practiced when he was a missionary in Peru. Spanish radio station COPE, which visited the site with a group of young students, reports that he rides Saleros, a 10-year-old horse from Valencia, “with whom he has formed a special bond.”
We know the papal stables are also home to the young Proton, a white thoroughbred gifted by a Polish breeder.
The Tuesday evening ritual
“Every human being, in order to take good care of themselves, should engage in activities for both the body and the soul,” the Pontiff has said, explaining that this midweek break is a habit that “helps him a lot.”
In fact, his new and heavy responsibilities, as head of a micro-state and spiritual guide to 1.4 billion souls, have filled the septuagenarian's schedule, which in fact has not been light for decades.
“He is more tired than before — you can see it on his face. He just tries to stay calm and go to bed at a reasonable hour,” acknowledged his brother John.
In Castel Gandolfo, Leo XIV also discreetly receives his close friends, some of whom have come from the United States or even Peru for moments of fellowship.
But as soon as he emerges from this interlude, the Bishop of Rome is once again caught up in his duties: a flock of journalists wait for him every Tuesday evening in front of the gates of his residence, cameras at the ready and microphones outstretched, hoping to get a quick statement.