Workers are in the process of restoring the 'Fountain of Neptune,' one of the three fountains located in Piazza Navona in Rome, on November 21, 2024. — AFP
Rome is undergoing significant renovations in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee celebrations, but with just a month to go, much of the Eternal City remains a construction zone. Key landmarks are obscured by scaffolding, and statues are covered with plastic sheeting. 'It's strange to see a city completely under construction,' said Clara Jay, 20, during a visit to the Trevi Fountain, where a walkway has been set up over the Baroque masterpiece, and the waters have been stopped for cleaning. Jay added that Rome is 'still very beautiful.' Her brother Maxime, 25, who was observing a temporary pool where tourists throw their coins, admitted to being 'a bit disappointed.' Nearby, the fountain and obelisk in front of the Pantheon, one of the best-preserved remnants of ancient Rome, are also cordoned off.
This scenario is replicated across the Italian capital as it gears up for the arrival of the 33 million people expected in 2025 for the Jubilee, a year of pilgrimage declared by Pope Francis. The Jubilee, organized roughly every 25 years by the Catholic Church, offers a time for pilgrimage and prayer, marked by religious and cultural events throughout the Vatican and Rome. At the official Jubilee shop near the Vatican, items ranging from water bottles to T-shirts featuring the event logo and its anime-inspired mascot are already available for purchase. However, with only a month left until Pope Francis inaugurates the celebrations by opening the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on December 24, the preparations appear far from finished.
Throughout the historic center and beyond, new cobblestone streets are being laid, and pavements are being redone, with the noise and dust from diggers and jackhammers filling the air. Traffic jams, already a common issue in a city where cars dominate, are exacerbated by diversions, with the sound of honking horns adding to the chaos. Amid the construction sites, specialists are working to clean marble statues and monuments that are either boarded off or covered with plastic sheeting. 'It's a bit of a shame because it obstructs the view of things,' said Susanna Catellani, a 22-year-old from northern Italy visiting Rome. 'Luckily, I've seen it other times, so I can get over it.' Others are less understanding.
Many tourists have shared online photos of the disruption, highlighting the contrast with the romantic imagery from Federico Fellini's iconic 'Dolce Vita' film and more recently, the Netflix series 'Emily in Paris.' Beyond the inconvenience, concerns are mounting about how an already crowded city, with unreliable public transport and scarce taxis, will manage with millions more visitors. 'It's a disaster, all of Rome,' lamented Tiziana Renzetti, a local resident caught in traffic earlier this week. 'The Jubilee... I don't even want to think about it!' Taxi driver Marco Palmigiani anticipates even worse traffic. 'Rome will explode,' he said. However, authorities maintain that the works are progressing as planned.
'All the main targets and milestones have been met,' said Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri. As of November 7, 105 construction sites had been initiated out of 249 planned, according to the municipality. Key sites, including Piazza Pia near the entrance to St. Peter's Square and the square outside the basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, are expected to be ready within weeks. 'The city has prepared itself to offer an even more beautiful face...,' said Rino Fisichella, the Vatican's lead organizer of the Jubilee, at the end of October. 'And little by little, we will see the construction sites, which have tested everyone's patience for months, disappear.'
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