A visit to Rome in 2024 might leave some tourists feeling underwhelmed. The city, renowned for its ancient splendors, has seen many of its treasures obscured by scaffolding due to ongoing extensive renovations. Rome's historic heart has taken on the appearance of a construction zone, with teams laboring day and night on a multitude of infrastructure and preservation initiatives.

Traffic, already a challenge, has become even more unbearable. The silver lining is that once these projects are completed, the Eternal City is poised to reveal itself more resplendently, with an upgraded metro system that will swiftly transport visitors to key attractions. However, with the year-long Roman Catholic jubilee, anticipated to draw up to 35 million visitors, just around the corner, a significant portion of the restoration efforts remain incomplete.

The jubilee is a periodic event in the Catholic Church, initiated by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 and held every quarter-century since 1470. It attracts vast numbers of pilgrims to Rome and the Vatican in search of absolution. During this event, the "holy doors" of Rome's principal basilicas, typically sealed, are opened. Those who pass through these doors and engage in spiritual activities will receive plenary indulgences, effectively a pardon for their sins.

The upcoming jubilee will commence on Christmas Eve, December 24th, when Pope Francis will open the holy door at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, and it will continue until January 6th, 2026. During this period, Rome, already a top European destination, is expected to see an unprecedented influx of tourists, coinciding with a time when many Italian locales are struggling with the impact of overtourism.

For Rome, the jubilee has been an opportunity to enhance the city's tourist offerings and amenities. The city has received $2 billion in special funding allocated for the jubilee from the Italian government, complemented by over $3 billion from post-pandemic EU funds. Officials assert that the temporary inconveniences caused by the overhaul of Rome will be justified by the improvements. However, the past year has been challenging for both residents and tourists, with frustration over the scaffolding and tarpaulins obscuring the attractions they came to see often expressed on social media. There is concern that the work, including infrastructure projects not directly related to the jubilee, may not be completed in time.

Visitors have humorously documented their experiences navigating the city's historical landmarks, only to encounter a series of construction sites. The list of restoration projects is extensive, encompassing Piazza Navona with its Fountain of the Four Rivers, Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano, the Fountain of the Four Lions, Ponte Sant’Angelo, Piazza Pia, Piazza Risorgimento, Piazza della Repubblica, and Piazaa dei Cinquecento, among others. Recently, a temporary pool in front of the Trevi Fountain, which is under restoration, was criticized for its underwhelming experience for visitors. The introduction of a ticketed entry system at the fountain has also been a contentious issue.

Piazza Venezia, one of Rome's most iconic squares, is currently a construction site for a new Line C metro station. Above the area, machinery is in place to dig 85 meters deep and install reinforced concrete. The station, when completed, will be 45 meters underground, spanning eight floors, each covering an area of 4,500 square meters. In Rome, excavating 66,000 cubic meters of earth is as much an archaeological endeavor as it is a construction task, adding layers of complexity to the project. Artifacts unearthed during the dig will be showcased in the station upon completion.

Near the Vatican, another ambitious initiative is underway to create a pedestrian zone between Castel Sant’Angelo and St. Peter’s Square in preparation for the jubilee. The Rome mayor’s office has confirmed that this will be ready by Christmas Eve.

However, there are doubts about the city's readiness for the upcoming influx of visitors. "Rome is not ready, it is chaotic," says Sylwia Wysocka, a journalist who has been covering the Vatican and Italy for the Polish Press Agency (PAP) for over two decades. "Romans are angry. I hear it every time I get on the bus." Riccardo Abate, a guide who leads tours on his Vespa scooter, notes that he and Scooteroma, the company he works for, have found the traffic caused by the construction works to be challenging. "It’s been busy, it’s been chaotic, it’s been a little bit frustrating — especially for the everyday traffic," he says. "Being in a car is no fun."

However, he adds that the jubilee deadline is at least pushing the city to complete projects that might otherwise have dragged on. "Many of the works would have taken much longer without a deadline," he says. "And the changes mean that Romans will benefit from these improvements long after the jubilee, so the inconvenience is worth it." Eugenio Patanè, Rome’s deputy mayor for mobility, asserts that the city will be able to handle the pressure, regardless of the readiness of various parts. "Like all capitals, we are constantly under pressure from tourism and frequent mega events," he says. "Rome is a city where we embrace these challenges and welcome visitors, so these big events don’t scare us.

We know how to adapt to the pressure." Meanwhile, Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, insists that everything is on track. "Yes, we are working very hard for the Jubilee and all the construction sites that are supposed to be ready for the jubilee and finished by December will be finished by December — so there will be new things to admire in Rome next year," he tells .

If the city is not fully prepared, it will at least be in a forgiving mood. Pope Francis has called for the jubilee’s spirit of absolution to extend beyond Rome, advocating for wealthier nations to forgive the debts of poorer ones and for governments to grant pardons or amnesties to individual prisoners. On December 26th, Francis will become the first pope to open a holy door in a prison when he visits Rome’s Rebibbia detention facility.

The Vatican is also planning special events with a variety of groups, including athletes and “digital missionaries and Catholic influencers,” and has created a special jubilee mascot, Luce, a cartoon character dressed as a pilgrim, to better engage the church with pop culture. Meanwhile, St. Peter’s Basilica has partnered with Microsoft to offer a range of Artificial Intelligence-enabled services to enhance the remote and in-person experience of its treasures. A live webcam has also been set up to livestream the tomb of St. Peter. This is not Francis’ first jubilee.

In 2015-2016, he held an “extraordinary” jubilee of mercy, which, for the first time, began with the opening of a door in the cathedral in the conflict-stricken Central African Republic. That jubilee saw over 21 million visitors to Rome, while the last ordinary jubilee in 2000 saw an estimated 25 million visits to the Eternal City.

Despite the expected crowds this coming year, locals suggest that non-religious tourists should not be deterred from visiting the city, especially as it begins to emerge, freshly cleaned, from its current state of restoration. Recently, the fountain in front of Rome’s Pantheon was reopened, offering a glimpse of what is to come. Restoration works, including cleaning, waterproofing, and metal and stucco repair, have restored the structure’s original color, and the transformation is striking. And as scooter tour guide Abate points out: “There is never a bad time to visit Rome.”