STORY: It's his first trip of the year, testing his mobility and resilience after a number of health scares in recent months.
He started the day by flying directly into a women's prison where the Vatican has set up a multi-media exhibition that is part of the Venice Biennale - a prestigious international art show that has never been visited by a pope before.
Francis uses a cane or a wheelchair to move around due to a knee ailment and suffers from repeated bouts of bronchitis and flu. He unexpectedly withdrew from a Good Friday procession in March "to preserve his health," but has looked well since then.
The Venice trip is the first of four planned inside Italy in the next three months. He is scheduled to visit Verona in May and Trieste in July and is also expected to attend a June summit of Group of Seven (G7) leaders in Bari.
