A “NEW” ROME FOR JUBILEE YEAR
The city centre of Rome has been subjected to a much needed facelift in honour of the current Catholic Church Jubilee 2025.
Many of the most iconic fountains, including the mythical Trevi, have been restored to their original gleaming white and pristine condition, while some revolutionary restyling has redefined several key areas, such as the space between St. Peter's and Castel Sant'Angelo, the busy shopping streets linking the Vatican with the Tiber and the vast piazza in front of the Basilica of St. John (San Giovanni). The aim has been to turn these key areas into people-friendly pedestrianized areas, not only for the benefit of the millions of pilgrims who are expected to visit during the Holy Jubilee year, but also for the residents in the future.
Two crucial projects did not meet the deadline of 24th December 2024, when Pope Francis ritually opened the Holy Door leading into St. Peter's, and still have to be completed. Those are the area in front of the main railway station, Termini, and the city's epicentre at Piazza Venezia, that groups the Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill), Rome's municipal offices, the Victor Emanuel Memorial and the entry into Ancient Rome, with the Forums and the Colosseum. Work in those two areas has proved particularly complex, but planners are hopeful to overcome the hurdles and that they will be able to consign a completed renewed Eternal City before the Jubilee doors close again at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, blessings for 2025 and sincere hopes for peace from