Leo XIV has brought back the papal tradition of vacationing at Castel Gandolfo. So how did a family castle become part of the pontifical villas? NCR looks at the history and some past popes' connections to the place.

Pope Leo XIV has marked the 56th anniversary of man's arrival on the moon Sunday with a visit to the Vatican astronomical observatory in Castel Gandolfo and a call to astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called astronaut Buzz Aldrin and visited the Vatican's observatory to mark the 56th anniversary of man's first moon landing.

Almost 13 years have passed since a pope spent part of his summer at the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town overlooking Lake Albano, just outside Rome. So, when Pope Leo XIV arrived at the Barberini Palace on Sunday (July 6),

Pope Leo XIV, who is spending two weeks on summer holiday at the papal estate in Castel Gandolfo, encouraged people in his Sunday homily to embrace the summer season as a time to deepen their relationship with God through silence,

Before concluding the audience, the Holy Father expressed his hope to meet the group again 'in a few months' for an 'ecumenical commemoration' to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.