AP PHOTOS: Papal summer residence reopens to visitors

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy -- As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted in Italy, thousands of people are heading to see the extensive gardens and apartments at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo in the Alban Hills near Rome. Built on a hilltop above Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo was for centuries the retreat for popes seeking to escape Rome's sweltering summer heat. Pope Benedict once strolled past well-groomed hedges, lemon trees and rose bushes. John Paul II prayed by a statue of the Madonna overlooking a pond with lily pads and goldfish. Yet unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis has avoided the palace, preferring to stay at the Vatican throughout the summer. In 2014, Francis decided that the 55 hectares (135 acres) of gardens should be opened to the public. In 2016, the palace itself followed suit, with visitors allowed into the former papal bedroom, private chapel and personal study. A surprisingly simple brass-frame bed is one of the few furnishings in the bedroom. An exhibit shows portraits and paraphernalia of former popes, from thrones to gilded stools.