{"id":13941,"date":"2020-01-08T15:30:34","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T15:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/?p=13941"},"modified":"2026-06-04T13:06:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T12:06:40","slug":"true-story-behind-the-two-popes-interview-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/true-story-behind-the-two-popes-interview-tour","title":{"rendered":"The Two Popes: A Vatican Guide Breaks Down Truth vs Fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The resignation of Pope Benedict from the Papal office in 2013 didn’t just make headlines, it made history. For the first time in over 600 years, two popes were alive simultaneously<\/strong>. A pope had resigned of his own will – a shocking event that hadn’t happened since 1294.\u00a0 And, for the first time ever, the Vatican became home to two popes.<\/p>\r\n

Based on the play The Pope<\/em> by Anthony McCarten, Netflix’s The Two Popes<\/em> focuses on the encounters between Cardinal Bergoglio, later Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), and Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins)<\/strong> in a series of meetings before the latter\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Much has been made of the historical accuracy (and inaccuracy) of the film and scenes of the two men sharing pizza and drinking Fanta have sparked debate. So we spoke with Vatican Walks\u2019 guide Camilla Mastrangelo<\/strong> to get a sense of the story behind the film.<\/p>\r\n

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The two Popes in question stroll Castel Gandolfo, inside the Papal Palace and around the beautiful Barberini Gardens.<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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