CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in the papal summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo on Sunday to start a six-week vacation, giving the hilltop town back its most illustrious resident after Pope Francis stayed away during his 12-year pontificate.

The area around Lake Albano has been a favourite getaway for Roman rulers since the time of the Emperor Domitian in the first century. Pope Urban VIII built the papal palace in Castel Gandolfo in 1624, and it was enlarged over succeeding pontificates to its present size of 55 hectares - bigger than Vatican City itself.

Pope Leo XIV on Monday enjoyed his first day of rest and relaxation at Caste Gandolo, the hill town south of Rome that is the traditional papal summer cool getaway from the Roman heat but which was closed and turned into a museum by his predecessor Francis.