Inside the pope's centuries-old summer retreat, a 135-acre estate overlooking an Italian lake

• Pope Leo XIV is on vacation at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
• The 135-acre estate owned by the Holy See features multiple properties and gardens.
• Leo XIV is staying in Villa Barberini, a 17th-century palace with expansive gardens.

This summer, the pope hosted a group of 200 people “living in vulnerable circumstances” for lunch in the Pontifical Gardens, Vatican News reported.

The invited guests included single parents, refugees, people with disabilities, and people seeking to reintegrate into the workforce, Vatican News reported.

“As you know very well, one of the Pope’s titles is ‘Pontiff,’ which means ‘builder of bridges,'” Leo XIV said in his remarks at the event. “Today, we would like to build a bridge with all of you, with your families, and with the society in which we wish to live, and to live in justice.”