The Apostolic Palace: Inside Pope Benedict's Summer Home at Castel Gandolfo

Pope Benedict XVI's resignation became official Thursday, and he's already settling in at his temporary post-Vatican home, Reuters reported. He's getting cozy at the pope's summer home in Castel Gandolfo, a small town of 8,000 residents south of Rome. He'll stay at the Apostolic Palace, which has been the vacation home for sitting popes for nearly 400 years. Benedict will be there for a few weeks while the renovation of his permanent home, the Mater Ecclesiae just outside the Vatican, is completed.

Pope Benedict

The Apostolic Palace is a grand complex that beats the size of Vatican City by 400,000 square feet. (Hmm, does this jibe with Benedict's final message to the faithful, in which he called himself a "simple pilgrim"?) It has gorgeous landscaped gardens, natural conservatories, museums and fishponds. More than half of the estate is comprised of the gardens, which is where popes are known to spend a lot of time reflecting. There are also 25 cattle on the premises, said to produce the best milk that you can find in Europe. It's also home to the Vatican Observatory.

Benedict should feel right at home: Records show that he has spent about five weeks a year at the Apostolic Palace since becoming pope in 2005, NBC News reported.

Though popes have been using the gigantic home as a getaway for centuries, the Vatican didn't formally take control of Castel Gandolfo until 1929. The deal was done as part of the Lateran Treaty, which cemented relations between Italy and Vatican City. So, wanna see how Benedict is living for the next few weeks? NBC News took a tour, which you can see in the video below.

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Reader Comments (20)

by Victoria Dodds - March 2nd 2013 @ 11:39AM

What a glorious place to retire, for most of us a wonderful location to vacation. May our former Pope find peace and tranquility the rest of his days.

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by Gina - March 2nd 2013 @ 3:53PM

Sure why not as the catholic church shuts down school after school and church after church, why not put this man and that is what he is up in a castle!!!!! You need to read your bible!!! This makes me so sick!!!!!

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by Darby - March 2nd 2013 @ 2:51PM

No wonder the church is broke.

by TDiplaci - March 2nd 2013 @ 10:44AM

The headline said a look inside--I failed to see anything inside. I hate fake, eye grabbing headlines. Shame on you!!

by John C. Billingsley, Jr. - March 2nd 2013 @ 11:16AM

I was wanting to see the wine celler and bar and what happens after vespers?

by Ken - March 2nd 2013 @ 10:49PM

The faithful give, freely. They are not taxed,by force, like the American people. I want to see a story about the current "first family" that over-spends our money on their fun, games, vacations, dates, etc. Sickening!

by Elaine Ray - March 2nd 2013 @ 11:35AM

I don't think that churches should be spending millions (millions) of dollars to house a retired pope when the purpose of the church is to provide love and care to the people. I the churches could learn a great lesson from Mother Theresa. Did you know that she wanted to go outside of the convent to help the poor and the church required her to leave the nunery in order to serve the people of poverty? Hummm.... What? So listen, the next time you pay your tithes to the church just remember that you are funding a lifestyle for which you will never experience... The Sinner's Market is profitable indeed.

by Gail - March 3rd 2013 @ 2:47PM

Mother Theresa was never forced out of a convent. She was a sister who chose to work with the poor. That's why she founded the Missionaries of Charity. And that's why she will be named a saint soon. And the home Pope Benedict is staying in is temporary. He will be living in a monastery inside the Vatican. He will live out the rest of his life in prayer.

by Victoria Dodds - March 2nd 2013 @ 4:24PM

Elaine: Where would you suggest the Pope retire, a favela in Brazil?

by Elwood P. Schwartz - March 2nd 2013 @ 5:10PM

Do you complain about the cost of security for former United States Presidents and all the other perks they get for having lead the free world? The Pope is a head of state, and after he retires, he has a right to a place to live and to be secure. He is not going to stay at Castle Gandolfo forever, just till his new apartment is move-in ready. And both properties were paid for centuries ago, so they are no cost to anyone today.

by Gina - March 2nd 2013 @ 6:27PM

The entire POPE thing is bogus, as a x catholic I think it is wrong that this man lives like a millionaire when there are so so so many people in this world starving. Catholics should be up in arms about this. The man should of not been elected pope in the first place, he was too old when he took this position!!! I thought the priests and bishops and pope was to live like a commoner??? Not in this world!!!!!!!!! Read the Bible!!!!!

by PETE RAMOS JR. - March 2nd 2013 @ 12:51PM

LEAVE THE POPE ALONE,SEEMS AS THOUGH MANY HAVE THEIR IDEA AS TO HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SHOULD BE RUN AND WHAT THE POPE SHOULD DO. IF YOUR NOT HAPPY AS A CATHOLIC, JOIN ANOTHER CHURCH, LIKE THE ONE THE TELE-VANGELIST WANTS A 36 MILLION DOLLAR JET SO HE CAN FLY AROUND THE WORLD, OR THE ONE THAT LIVES IN A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR HOUSE AND HAS TWO ROLLS ROYCE IN HIS GARAGE. TO LEARN HOW SOME OF THE "CHOSEN ONES" LIVE CHECK THE INTERNET, IT'S AMAZING HOW MANY LIVE A LIFE OF PURE SPELNDER WHILE PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD.

by Lilly - March 2nd 2013 @ 1:40PM

Yes, so many corrupt religions preying on the pocketbooks of the less fortunate. They are broadening their influence into the southern hemisphere because the rest of us have wised up.

by guy - March 2nd 2013 @ 1:10PM

thats going to cost a lot of poor people offerings.

by Elwood P. Schwartz - March 2nd 2013 @ 5:13PM

What are you jabbering on about? This costs nothing, having been built and paid for centuries ago.

by nina - March 2nd 2013 @ 1:13PM

vow of poverty doesn't apply to retiring CEOs

by Paula - March 2nd 2013 @ 1:46PM

The video said that the pope will receive a small monthly stipend but most of his needs will be taken care of by the Vatican. Does that mean that the cost of going to church will go up? Now the Vatican has 2 popes to take care of.

by Gail - March 3rd 2013 @ 3:16PM

Since when do you have to pay to go to church?

by Gordon - March 2nd 2013 @ 1:48PM

Remember, this is the pope who criticized the people of the west for being too materialistic. He hardly took a vow of poverty.

by Gary - March 2nd 2013 @ 2:02PM

While countless people are starving, jobless and loosing their homes, this guy gets to live it up in luxury and for what? He's just some guy that some other guys said would be the Pope. What a racket! No honor among thieves I guess. They should take all that money that the Catholic church has stolen in the name of God and feed the hungry, give them houses and live a Godly life. Their only God is money, greed and power. They will all surely burn

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