As Rome gets ready for the Holy Year, visitors during 2024 will see lots of works in progress in preparation of welcoming some estimated 35,000,000 pilgrims alone to the city during the course of 2025. But what exactly is the Jubilee?
1. What is a Jubilee?
In short, it is a period of one year of religious reflection within the Catholic Church during which the Pope grants absolution from all sins to the faithful who travel to Rome to take part in religious initiatives, confess their sins, and receive the eucharist
The Jubilee of the Catholic Church was invented by Pope Bonifacio the VIII in 1300, and it originates from a Jewish tradition taking place every 50 years where to signal the beginning of one year of peace for the earth, a ram’s horn, yobel in Hebrew, was blown from where we get the term Jubilee.
2. The Jubilee of 2025
The Jubilee of 2025 (with the theme Pilgrims of Hope as we find ourselves in times of increasing wars, climate crisis), commences with the Pope opening the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, on December 24, 2024 which remain open for a year for the passage of pilgrims.
At the same time, the Holy Doors of the three other Papal Basilicas in Rome: Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura will also be open.
The Pope’s use of a hammer to dislodge the bricks that had been used to seal up the door at its closure at the end of the previous Holy Year has been abandoned.
Nowadays, the wall sealing up the door is dismantled a few days ahead of the ceremony. During this operation, a casket, which had been bricked over since the end of the previous Holy Year, is extracted, and inside is the key which allows the door to be opened.
There will be many events and religious ceremonies all across the Catholic world, but how will this affect your stay in Rome?
3. Planning your visit
– Book in advance!
We can certainly expect a high influx of visitors and pilgrims so preparing your travel well in advance is strongly recommended.
Take a look at our Jubilee Tours, which we have specifically designed for the Holy Year.
Similarly, if you are looking to visit the must-see highlights such as the Colosseum (Classic Private Colosseum Tour), Vatican (Vatican Private Tours), and the churches themselves, we can assume that tickets to the sites are going to be harder to come by than ever so whether you are planning on exploring these yourself or with an expert guide, booking early is key!
– Accommodation during the Jubilee
Hotels, private rentals and AirBNB are already taking reservations and expect prices to hike considerably, as well as train tickets. Great neighbourhoods to stay in are the Pantheon/piazza Navona area, Trastevere, Monti, San Giovanni, Testaccio, and the Vatican/Prati area, all with excellent transportation networks and easy strolls to the city centre sites.
4. Visiting the Basilica of St. Peter
The Basilica of St. Peter itself will be subject to a number of closures and restrictions during special celebrations and while there is a General Calendar Jubilee 2025, most likely there will be further disruptions as the festivities get underway but if you want a superb option to visit the church with a spectacular view of Rome from the Dome of St. Peter, join us during this very special moment on our Private St. Peter and Dome Tour!
5. Explore other cities and go off the beaten path to avoid the crowds!
Since we are heading into the Holy Year, we realise that many visitors may not wish to engage with the throngs of pilgrims so to escape the hustle and bustle, there’s plenty of other things to enjoy such as day trips to Pompeii and Naples, the Amalfi Coast as well as heading north to Florence or Venice, or staying closer to Rome, Tivoli, the ancient port of Ostia or the beautiful towns of Orvieto, Bracciano, Orvieto, Bagnoregio to name just a few!
Keeping in line with off-the-beaten path as we feel this a great approach, bear in mind there are over 200 museums and galleries in Rome so instead of joining the crowds at the best known, let’s take you to see other wonders!
We are a huge fan of the Villa Giulia which plays host to Etruscan treasures which you could couple with a visit to Cerveteri for a full experience of this ancient tribe.
Villa Torlonia, set in beautiful gardens, is another site often overlooked by visitors with many fascinating artworks and exhibitions throughout the year, recently with newly opened anti aircraft shelter and bunker located under the Casino Nobile, structures built during World War II so Rome really has something to wet everyone’s appetite!
We also have the amazing hills of Castelli Romani where you can explore the Papal Palaces of Castel Gandolfo or enjoy an authentic wine-tasting lunch – when in Rome!
6. Ask for a Customised Church and Relics tour!
You might want to keep with the religious theme and join us for a private customised tour of some of Rome’s churches, there are over 900! but we will help you pin down the most interesting hidden gems.
Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Pudenziana, Santa Sabina, Santa Costanza with the 7th-century church of Sant’Agnese Fuori Le Mura just a stone’s throw away, are some of the most important, but usually not visited by the majority of travellers.
Other important cities taking part in the Jubilee are Assisi, Milan, and San Giovanni Rotondo.
We look forward to welcoming you to Italy during this very exciting period! Don’t hesitate to contact us
