At Benedict’s summer home, a town mourns its beloved visitor

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is particularly beloved in the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo. He spent every summer here as pope, joining a centuries-long list of pontiffs who vacationed at the papal villa overlooking Lake Alban in the hills south of Rome. Benedict’s death has hit residents hard, since many knew him personally and had already bid him an emotional farewell when he uttered his final words as pope from the palace’s balcony overlooking the town square and then spent the first months of his retirement. The former mayor dedicated a plaque to Benedict on City Hall, and residents in the picturesque hilltop town reminisce about hearing him play the piano behind the palace walls on cool summer evenings.