The eternal city is about to become new. New roads, new trams, new cobblestones and a new glow to old statues. Rome is to be prepared for the Catholic Church’s great jubilee in 2025. So far we are talking about close to NOK 50 billion in investments. On Christmas Eve, most things must be ready, because then Pope Francis will open the holy door into St. Peter’s Basilica. HIGH DOOR: When Pope Francis opens the holy door into St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, the year of jubilee is underway. Photo: Ap It is only opened every jubilee year. So basically every 25 years, with some special exceptions. The critics believe that a miracle is needed to achieve this. Because the city looks like a huge construction site. Traffic is even denser than usual, due to roadworks and closed areas. UNDERGROUNDING: There will be a tunnel here, so the pilgrims can walk safely to St. Peter’s Church. Photo: AFP The right-wing weekly Panorama called it all “A Hellish Jubilee” recently, placing much of the blame on Rome’s centre-left mayor Roberto Gualtieri. When news meets him in the center of the Italian capital, however, Gualtieri seems to take it all very calmly. – This creates some problems for the residents. But we are going to upgrade all the main roads in Rome. We create new parks. We are putting the metro in order, the same with the tram lines that have not been maintained, says the man who is the mayor of a city with 3 million inhabitants. JUBILE DUO: Pope Francis and Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri Photo: Reuters – We’re refurbishing our whole city, quite simply. We have started 322 construction projects for the anniversary. We are working hard to get them done. He does not attach much importance to the criticism from the opposition press. – I am a progressive mayor, and then it is normal and expected that the part of the press that counts itself to the right attacks me. Such is the freedom of the press. They will soon see how this turns out, when the jubilee year begins. Then everyone can assess whether we have done a good job or not. ROUTE: The road to St. Peter’s Church has been dug up. Will everything be finished by Christmas Eve? Photo: Simen Ekern / news The pilgrims’ entry march There will be plenty of people in the city who can evaluate Gualtieri’s efforts. 35 million tourists and pilgrims are expected in the city. And that is in addition to all those who otherwise arrive during the year. After the pandemic forced Rome’s tourism industry to its knees, tourism has reached record highs. Never before have there been so many tourists in the Italian capital. And now there will be even more. Alessandro Onorato, city councilor for tourism in Rome, thinks it should go. – We are pleased that the number of tourists is increasing. But they have to be distributed in a different way in the city. Not everyone can be in the center. SELFIE: Is there room for more tourists? Photo: AFP Onorato hopes he can entice tourists to open their eyes to sights outside the city centre. Rome is not, as he says, a medieval city with a limited geographical extent. With a past as the capital of the Roman Empire, Rome is many times larger than Paris, for example, and there are plenty of magnificent monuments, aqueducts and archaeological sites far outside the central core. But many tourists will naturally want to live in the city centre, and here Rome faces similar challenges as Barcelona, Madrid or Lisbon. One of the basic challenges is that the center weathers when the Romans disappear. Short-term rental to tourists makes the center less vibrant. – We have a huge problem with the uncontrolled increase in the rental of holiday apartments and Airbnb, says the tourism council. – We would have liked to have put restrictions on this, especially in the city centre. But the national authorities do not allow it. We are not allowed, Florence is not allowed, Milan is not allowed. We will pay a heavy price for this in the future if we cannot limit it. Entrance ticket in the city center One of the measures he can implement – and which he has proposed this autumn, is to start with an entrance ticket to see some of the city’s most famous sights. THE SWEET LIFE: Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg bathed in the Trevi Fountain in the film La Dolce Vita. Photo: AFP The Trevi Fountain, for example. A baroque masterpiece that is admired by hordes of tourists every single day. Now the municipality will see how it can be limited. – Now it’s full of people who see the fountain while eating pizza or maybe an ice cream that melts on the sideman, while everyone takes a selfie. We want to make the experience of this work of art something a little more special, says Onorato. There is no denying that the streets up to the Trevi Fountain are crowded. It’s easy to forget, even for someone who has been here many times, just how full it can get. But Martin and Anita, tourists from Switzerland, think that’s part of the charm. CROWDED: It can get full in front of the tourist attractions in Rome. Photo: Reuters – It is a very beautiful place to visit, and I am completely against the authorities putting restrictions on this, says Martin. – If you are a little patient and friendly to the other people here, it’s fine to take a nice photo, says Anita, before she is interrupted by a man who pushes his way past, after snapping a couple of flash shots with his phone. – I also recommend that you look at the fountain, not just take pictures of it, she adds. Published 23.10.2024, at 13.58
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Rome prepares for Catholic jubilee – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
