Visitors over the past few weeks may have noticed an upsurge in construction works in the city center, along with billboards celebrating “Roma per il giubileo”, Rome for the Jubilee. What is the Jubilee, and why is it important to know?

First off, let’s talk basics: we are probably used to use the word “jubilee” when referring to an important celebration tied to an equally important anniversary. The word dates back to the Old Testament and it indicated, oversimplifying for the sake of brevity, a moment in time when, for instance, slaves could be freed. The term has been since then adopted by the Catholic church, with Boniface VIII announcing the first Jubilee in the year 1300. A Jubilee can be held every 25 or 50 years (in fact, the last ordinary Jubilee fell on the year 2000). However, an extraordinary Jubilee can also be held in between ordinary ones, depending on the Pope.

Rather than freeing slaves, and again we’re oversimplifying here!, the modern event revolves around the forgiveness of sins. This is called “indulgences”, and bestowed upon the faitful in exchange for an action: typically, a pilgrimage to a specific place (or a specific place within a specific place, to be more precise!).

The operative word here is “pilgrimage.” The next Jubilee has been announced for 2025, and Rome is buzzing with activity to welcome as many pilgrims as possible. It is probably difficult to understand the close connection between Vatican City and Rome itself without opening a history book, but suffice it to say that our next-door neighbors rely heavily on Italy’s infrastructure for their events – the city’s public transportation network is key to a good experience for all visitors to the Vatican. So, whether you’re religious or not, if you’re traveling to Rome in 2024 or 2025, you’ll be affected by the Jubilee and its preparations. Here’s how.

Again, if you have already traveled to Rome this year, you will have noticed the number of construction works in the city center. Not all of them are related to the Jubilee (for example, the works for the subway in Piazza Venezia is not related to the event), but the vast majority are.

What this means if you’ve yet to travel is that you will find Rome to be a noisier city than normal, with tons more car traffic (this year more than ever, is best not to ). Getting a shot of Rome’s skyline without it being dotted with cranes will be a challenge, and while major landmarks follow regular opening hours, some minor ones like churches or catacombs may occasionally be closed or have their hours altered. You may find that accommodation prices are starting to rise.

Conversely, if you’re planning to visit Rome in 2025, you’ll notice higher prices for travel to Italy, in addition to higher prices for accommodations, due to the number of pilgrims making their way to the Vatican – and not just there! In fact, prices could and most likely will be highest near the location of all available Holy Doors. As part of the Jubilee celebration, pilgrims are required to walk through them in order to obtain indulgences. It’s a very special, spiritual moment in the life of a believer.

The Pope will decide where some of the Holy Doors will be placed, while others are always in fixed locations, i.e. in the major papal basilicas (St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran).

At the same time, the Jubilee doesn’t come with only disruption: visits to certain places (such as the aforementioned basilicas) will be in high demand, and you can expect local and international tour operators to offer special tours or create new packages for tourists, not necessarily believers. The Jubilee will also be an opportunity to visit religious buildings that are seldom open to the public – in a manner not unlike other… “special events”. Also, different locations other than Rome will be involved in the celebrations: think Assisi, Milan, San Giovanni Rotondo…

Traditionally, the Jubileum begins before Christmas and lasts a full year, so traditional celebrations like Easter or Christmas will be even more special between 2024 and 2025: keep your eyes open for more information as it becomes available!