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Buon Anno from Italy. Happy New Year to all! If you are planning to visit il bel paese in 2025 for the first time or are returning for another taste of la dolce vita, be prepared for some recent changes across the country and a major event in Rome which could affect your travel plans.
To enter the burial site of Italy’s royal family, Raphael and other renowned artists, you’ll need a timed ticket which costs 5 euros. | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Italy hosts around 65 to 70 million tourists a year, but this year will be even more crowded with approximately 35 million believers expected in Rome for the Jubilee 2025. The Holy Year calls for Catholics to come to Rome to visit holy sites and participate in rites of reconciliation so they can receive plenary indulgences which forgive all sins.
The first Jubilee was announced in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII and is believed to be based on a Jewish tradition which instituted a year of rest for the earth every 50 years. To mark the beginning of the Jubilee, a ram’s horn, or yobel, in Hebrew, was blown, from which the Christian term Jubilee comes.
The Spanish Steps used to be a popular place for gathering and picture-taking, but sitters will have to sit someplace else now. | ADOBE
This year’s Jubilee has been titled Peregrinantes in Spem (Pilgrims in Hope) and will officially start on Christmas Eve 2024, with the opening of the Holy Doors of the four Papal Basilicas of Rome. The doors are normally sealed by mortar and cement from the inside so that they cannot be opened except during a jubilee. These four shrines, where the most important celebrations will take place, are San Pietro, San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore, and San Paolo Fuori le Mura.
On the first night, by tradition, the pope is carried through the Holy Door of St. Peter holding a candle in his left hand and a cross in his right. On Dec. 29 the pope will open the Holy Door of St. John Lateran, on Jan. 1, 2025, he will open the door at St. Mary Major and on the eve of Epiphany, Jan. 5, he will open the door at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. The pope has expressed his hope to personally open a fifth “Holy Door” in a prison to offer a symbol of closeness to all those incarcerated.
There are additional churches which have been chosen as holy sites to visit and a number of other religious celebrations throughout the year. The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel are included as are catacombs, in particular those of San Callisto and San Sebastiano. Rome will also host cultural events, exhibitions and concerts and the city has been undergoing massive renovation and development projects to prepare for a higher influx of visitors.
The Holy Door of San Pietro will open on Christmas Eve. | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Two of the biggest changes for visitors are requirements for digital fingerprinting and an entry form which must be filled out and approved before you even get on a plane. U.S. citizens traveling to Italy and other EU countries will now have to pay an “entry fee” through the ETIAS system which will launch sometime in 2025. This is essentially a travel permit for which you pay 7 euros. Once this goes into effect you can no longer board a plane without this document. This does not guarantee you can enter Europe because you must also be in comply with the EES system. The EES, or European Union’s Entry/Exit system, was supposed to go into effect in November but has not yet been implemented.
The Holy Door of Santa Maria Maggiore will be opened on Jan. 1. | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Visitors will now have to have their fingerprints taken and registered before they can go through customs at a European entry site. Americans can only stay in Europe for a maximum of 90 days, but these digitized records, which are linked to your passport, will remain on file for three years. If you enter Italy, you can also travel to other countries in the Schengen Area which includes 28 other countries.
If you are traveling to Rome this year, especially during the high season, plan carefully in advance! The increase in visitors will make it harder to find accommodation. Also be prepared to pay a higher nightly “tourist tax,” which is currently around 5 euros per night at a 3-star hotel to around 10 euros per night per person at a 5-star hotel. This year that fee may increase at least 2 euros per night and even higher. Some travel experts are advising travelers to book earlier and also to consider staying outside the city center.
All three fountains in Piazza Navona have been restored in advance of Rome’s Jubilee. | ADOBE
While it won’t be fully open for several more years, Rome is finally seeing progress towards its new Metro line C, a driverless train which has been in the works for over two decades. Line C is set to add more stops beneath some of the city’s most popular heritage sites such as the Colosseum (which will connect with the B line and open sometime this year), Trajan’s Column, and the Basilica of Maxentius (at the Roman Forum) as well as other important palaces, churches, and the Vatican.
A visit to the Trevi fountain will also be different. Some visitors to the Eternal City were shocked to find the iconic landmark “turned off” last October. The water was drained, and the site was roped off for restoration work as the city and cultural authorities planned to begin charging a fee of about 2 euros per person, along with timed entries, for visitors to experience this stunning treasure. During the closure, visitors had to “walk by” on a catwalk and had to throw their coins into what many have called a “municipal swimming pool.” The project was expected to be completed within five weeks so it should be finished as of this writing.
The magic of relaxing on the Spanish Steps to take in the view is also gone. In order to preserve this UNESCO site, visitors are no longer permitted to sit or lay down on any of the 135 steps which were restored in 2016 to the tune of 1.6 million euros by Bulgari, an Italian luxury brand. Fines can for violators of the ban range from $280 to $448 if someone soils or damages the steps.
This historic stairway connects the Church of Trinità dei Monti to the Piazza di Spagna below. It has long been a popular place to gather and is often the venue for fashion shows. In the piazza you will find a charming water fountain called La Fontana della Barcaccia, the Column of the Immaculate Conception, the Sallustiano Obelisk as well as cafes and high-end luxury stores located both in the piazza and along the famous Via dei Condotti.
Not too far away, the beautiful Piazza Navona has seen its famous fountains brought back to their original glory. Both the Fountain of the Moor and the Fountain of Neptune were shut down for thorough cleaning as was the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the center of the Piazza. A fourth fountain in front of the Pantheon, simply called La Fontana del Pantheon, was turned back on at the end of November. If you plan to visit the Pantheon, which you should not miss, be aware that entry requires a 5 euro fee with a timed ticket. They can be bought online but also at a window near the entrance.
Other bans and changes are now in force in numerous cities of Italy. In Florence there is now a ban on eating in the streets of Via de’ Neri, Piazzale degli Uffizi, Piazza del Grano and Via della Ninna. These are the most heavily congested streets where there are numerous food shops and the highly popular Gelateria dei Neri. Some residents and shop owners have pushed back against this policy with the suggestion to offer benches and more trash cans as a better solution. The proposed fines could be up to 500 euros.
If you plan to stay at an Airbnb, be aware that you may no longer be able to check in on your own. Florence passed a measure a few months ago to remove remote entry keypads and padlocks in order to address security issues for these short-term rentals. The move is now spreading across all Italy with plans for the removal of key boxes and keypads. While all renters must register with local police stations, many property managers have been lax in providing renter information. They will now have to physically check-in with their clients.
In Pompeii, visitors will now need a personalized ticket with their full name on it that is tied to a specific time slot. The archeological gem will limit the number of visitors each day to 20,000 people. Venice has also pushed back on over tourism by banning large cruise ships and introducing a 5 euro entry fee.
While millions of people dream of visiting Italy each year it is more important than ever to keep up with changes the country has made to protect its cultural heritage. Italy is famous for passing laws and then dragging its feet to implement them so check for these and other changes before you travel. Don’t let this stop you from a dream vacation but do plan carefully so you can better enjoy your Italian viaggio.
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