Discover the most emblematic places of the Burgo Laudato Center yes’

Pope Leo XIV will travel this Friday at 4:00 pm (Rome time) The Burgus Center Laudato SI ‘, in Castel Gandolfo, the historic pontifical residence on the shores of Lake Albano.

During his visit, the Holy Father will pass through the gardens, vineyards, agricultural land and farms that are part of this ecological and spiritual space, created by Pope Francis.

It will also have a time to greet employees who since 2022 have worked on the conversion of the place into a living sustainability laboratory.

Next, we present a series of photographs of the places that the Pope will travel.

1. The Virgen de los Jardines

This is the true spiritual heart of the gardens of Castel Gandolfo. This delicate Virgin of Asian factions was commissioned by Pius XII. It was placed near a cave, surrounded by vegetation, and since then it is one of the most visited points on the tours of Castel Gandolfo. Here Leo XIV celebrated the Mass for the custody of creation on July 9.

2. The wooden bank of Pope Leo XIV

Recently, the Pontiff asked that a simple wooden bench be placed in front of the Mariana image, a space from which to trust the Virgin its most intimate secrets. This place has witnessed transcendental decisions in the life of the Church: there Benedict XVI found the fortress to announce his resignation to the pontificate, and San Juan Pablo II took the resolution to send a letter to the US President George W. Bush in which he condemned the immorality of the war in Iraq.

3. The Domitian Amphitheater

The gardens of Castel Gandolfo stand on the ruins of the summer town of Emperor Domitian. Great passionate about the Greek tragedy, the emperor ordered an amphitheater to build there, where he used to invite his cut of friends to enjoy theatrical performances.

4. Equestrian statue of the last emperor

The last Roman emperor who lived in this residence was Seventimio Severo that ruled from 193 to 211. It is an equestrian statue because here there was a racecourse.

5. The gardens

During the war, Castel Gandolfo was declared by Pius XII as neutral territory and refuge zone. These beautiful gardens opened their doors in 1944, after the bombings of the allies during World War II, to welcome the civilian population fleeing from Rome and the nearby peoples of the Castelli Romani. It is estimated that some 12,000 people – mostly women, elders and children – found shelter there. In fact, more than 30 children during those months of asylum were born in the pontifical palace.

6. Pope Leo XIV shield

The image of the official coat of Leo XIV is represented in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo. The new Pontiff has preferred to maintain both his episcopal shield and his motto In that one one (“In him, he is one, we are one”). The pontifical shield is diagonally divided into two fields. The upper sector, in blue background, shows a white lily, a traditional symbol of purity and reference to the Virgin Mary. The lower sector, on a clear background, contains the image of a closed book – symbol of the sacred writing – with a heart pierced by an arrow supported on it.

7. The vineyards

From these vineyards, the Laudato wine will be born if ‘: the first harvest is scheduled for 2027, and the sale of wine will begin in 2028. The project has the collaboration of the University of Oenology of Udine, which has helped define the five fundamental qualities that characterize this unique wine.

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The Center “Burgo Laudato Si ‘” will be the last stage of its visit to Castel Gandolfo. It is a training project in integral ecology and experimentation in environmental sustainability that seeks to implement the principles of Pope Francis’s encyclical of which he takes his name. As reported by the Vatican, the inauguration will be present high leaders headed by Paul Polman, former Unilever and reference of the sustainable economy.