Sorry, travelers, but getting that perfect shot of the Pantheon may require a return trip to Rome. (The photo above was taken earlier this month.)
As we all know, Rome wasn’t built in a day. But as any recent visitor can attest, it sure looks like the city is being rebuilt—all day, every day.
There are a staggering 3,200 public construction projects currently underway across the Eternal City, including many in and around some of the most popular tourist attractions. For visitors keen on getting unobstructed, scaffolding-free views of, among other sites, the Pantheon, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, or the Colosseum, here’s a hard truth: 2024 might not be your year.
Why is there so much construction in Rome right now?
The reason so much of Rome is walled off or under scaffolding this year is due to what’s happening next year: the Vatican's Jubilee of 2025.
The yearlong event, which kicks off on December 24, 2024, is billed by the Catholic Church as “a special year of grace,” where the faithful have the chance to obtain a plenary indulgence, or washing away of sins as if the believer were freshly baptized anew.
Jubilees take place every 25 years, and are marked by the opening of the otherwise closed Holy Doors of Rome’s four papal basilicas: St. Peter’s Basilica, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. For their souls to be cleansed, pilgrims are invited to pass through these doors, perform acts of mercy or penances, or pray at one of several other churches in Rome.
The city expects a whopping 35 million visitors over the course of 2025; that's at least double the number of tourists in a normal year. And Rome intends to be ready for the influx.
So if you’re planning a visit next year—and if you haven’t booked yet, it’s crunch time—you should find that most of the dust has settled from the big construction projects, and those enviable vacation pics are once again attainable.
Two notable exceptions, however, are areas around the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia, where construction unrelated to the Jubilee is expected to drag on for several more years.
Which Roman tourist sites are affected in 2024?
In the meantime, a number of major sites will remain under wraps for the rest of the year.
All three fountains on Piazza Navona as well as the stepped fountain on Piazza della Rotonda in front of the Pantheon are boarded up and dry.
Piazza Pio, at the foot of Castel Sant’Angelo, is currently a massive construction site that will eventually transform into a seamless pedestrian corridor to St. Peter’s Basilica, aka Jubilee Central.
Elsewhere, foot and car traffic is being rerouted for improvements to sidewalks, piazzas, and the city’s scant green spaces.
Metro stations and tram lines are closing sporadically for construction work, which means the public transportation journey you mapped out before your trip may not be the one you can actually take. Even Piazza dei Cinquecento, the sprawling bus depot in front of Termini Station, is shut down.
Throw the existing taxi shortage into the mix, and it’s often faster—not to mention cheaper—to walk to your destination, weather permitting. Consult the website of Rome's public transit system for updates on service changes and temporary closures.
It’s a lot of chaos to pile onto a scene that can already be stressful and overcrowded for visitors and residents alike.
But here’s one bright spot amid all the construction dust: The Trevi Fountain, which underwent renovation a few years ago, is scaffolding-free. If you toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain's waters, you’re supposedly guaranteed a return trip to Rome—and another chance to get those iconic photos you couldn’t get this time around.
Elizabeth Heath is the author of Frommer's Rome Day by Day, which arrives in bookstores in August and is available for preorder now.
