Pope Leo XIV, who has restored the papal tradition of spending part of the summer at Castel Gandolfo, is set to attend a classical concert there on July 18.
The "Concert in Honor of the Holy Father Leo XIV" will take place in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, where he is staying from July 5–27. The nearby Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano will offer the event as a gift to the pontiff to mark the renewal of the papal presence at the lakeside town, which is part of the diocese.
Leo XIV, as Cardinal Robert Prevost, was the titular cardinal-bishop of the Diocese of Albano before his election to the papacy in 2025.
Bishop Vincenzo Viva of Albano, in a July 16 press release from the diocese, described the concert as an expression of the diocese's joy and closeness to the pope.
"The renewed presence of the Holy Father in our diocesan territory has filled our local Church and its inhabitants with joy," Viva said in the statement. "We wish to offer this symphonic concert as a gesture of affection and communion, and the program we have designed reveals pages of rare splendor."
The concert will feature classical repertoire by Niccolò Paganini and Vincenzo Bellini. It will be performed by the orchestra I Musici di Parma of Parma, Italy.
Pope Leo XIV decided to spend part of this summer on vacation at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo after Pope Francis opted not to spend his summers there for his entire 12-year pontificate. The complex also includes the Pontifical Gardens, including the Borgo Laudato Si' garden.
The July 18 concert will be Leo's second public appearance (outside his Sunday Angelus) at Castel Gandolfo so far, following his lunch with the poor in the Borgo Laudato Si' garden on July 11. With the exception of his Sunday Angelus, all private and public audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, are suspended during his vacation.
