VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Castel Gandolfo's pilgrims, bikers and locals have missed a papal presence in the town.

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday heads to the papal summer residence for a six-week vacation, giving the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo back its most illustrious resident after Pope Francis stayed away during his 12-year pontificate.

After the whirlwind of his election, Pope Leo XIV has decamped to Castel Gandolfo to escape the heat of Rome and enjoy a summer vacation, like many popes before him.