Pope Leo escapes Rome’s summer heat to the nearby Castel Gandolfo - Pope Leo XIV will resume the papal tradition of taking a summer break outside Rome

Urban was so enamored of his digs at Castel Gandalfo that shortly after vacationing there for the first time in 1626, he invited his secretary of state to get out of Rome and join him with a Latin poem extolling the attractions of the place. These included a trip on horseback a few miles south to the grove of Egeria on beautiful Lake Nemi.

As temperatures in Rome swelter this month, reaching more than 35 degrees Celsius (95°F) under the hot Mediterranean sun, Pope Leo has decided to leave town.The pontiff will spend July 6 to 20 about an hour's drive south in Castel Gandolfo,