In the Vatican, however, the prevailing wisdom is the church’s leaders have chosen a mysterious figure as their guiding force.
And Pius XIII proves to be the most mysterious and contradictory of them all. As Belardo begins his reign, he is stubbornly resistant to the Vatican stewards, instead relying on Sister Mary to serve as his chief adviser.
While she urges him to focus on leading his billion followers, the young pope shows little interest in making himself known, either to the College of Cardinals or to the masses.
The 10-episode drama series stars Jude Law in the title role and Diane Keaton as Sister Mary, a nun from the US now living in Vatican City.
Filming of the first season, which took seven months, started in August 2015 and took place mainly in the Cinecittà studios, where the interior of the Vatican was recreated.
Exterior shots and garden scenes were taken at a number of villas, primarily Villa Lante in Bagnaia, Villa Medici and Orto Botanico del’Universita di Roma “La Sapienza,” while some interior shots were also taken inside Palazzo Venezia. Parts of the last episode were shot in piazza San Marco in Venice. “The Young Pope” was renewed for a second season by HBO.