(18 July, 2006): -During his current vacation in the Italian Alps, Pope Benedict
XVI is enjoying his favorite pastime at least twice a day - his neighbors in the
Aosta Valley can hear his music at the piano. According to the Italian newspaper Avvenire's
reporter, Salvatore Mazza, the Pope sits at the piano at least twice a day - in the
morning and the afternoon - and plays his favorite classical pieces. The local parish
priest Fr. Paolo Curtaz said: " The Pope seems to really appreciate these days
of rest. He is very relaxed and happy. When greeting him, on his arrival, I said to
him: “I continue to be the parish priest of Introd and he answered me: “Good, the
Church needs continuity." On Sunday, pictures from the Vatican Television Center allowed
one to see the Pope's activities over these days: time spent in his study in the
Salesian residence, walks in the garden, moments of prayer before an image of Our
Lady, and time spent at the piano playing favorite pieces. Insofar as Pope Benedict’s
work is concerned, Mazza wrote in the Sunday edition of Avvenire that "it seems,
among other things, that he has gone back to the book he was writing before being
elected Pope John Paul II's successor, - a theology text." In statements to Vatican
Radio on July 17 , Bishop Giuseppe Anfossi said "The Pope is relaxed. He certainly
enjoys the freedom of not being subjected to work. He also shows that he finds time
to walk and to pray .” For the second year, Pope Benedict is spending his vacation
in the chalet owned by the Salesian Order in the village of Les Combes, nestling in
the Italian Alps near the French border .It was also the favourite home of his predecessor
Pope John Paul II. He will remain there until July 28.