A view of the Papal or Apostolic Palace, a historic summer retreat for popes in the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, about 30 kilometers southeast of Rome, where Pope Leo XIV will be spending a short period of rest, is seen Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Credit: AP

Overlooking Lake Albano on a hill south of Rome, Castel Gandolfo was for centuries a much-loved papal summer retreat — until Pope Francis renounced both the estate and summer holidays. Now the tiny town is reclaiming its vaunted status as a Vatican outpost,