This was stated by Veronica Molinari, head of Press and Communication of Italia-it, “more than 35 million people are expected this year in Rome, because in addition to what Rome offers, it is the year of the jubileee, and you can combine the visit of the Vatican with that of Rome,” said Molinari.
He also commented that foreseeing this, the city has been reformed, improvements have been made, and the Roman Colosseum is being valued “because it is more than 2,000 years old and work must always be done to preserve it,” he explained.
In reference to what Italians feel about having the Roman Colosseum, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, Veronica Molinari said “for us it is an honor and a privilege that the largest amphitheater in the world is in Rome, it is the symbol of the city, it is the living history of Italy.”
And he stressed that since the Colosseum has been elected as Wonder of the World “visits have increased of course, there are people who come only to see the Roman Colosseum, there are many things to see in Rome, but they come above all to see our Colosseum.”
Finally, he said “we are delighted that people come to Rome, and for those who do not know it, it is essential to visit it because it is to know a little where we come from, because the Romans created everything, they gave us so much. So I think it’s an essential visit at least once in a lifetime, to visit Rome, the city of love.”
The jubilee
The Italian capital is, more than ever, the epicenter of the Christian and Catholic world, with people from all corners of the planet who arrive in the city on the occasion of the Holy Year 2025.
On December 24, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica to inaugurate his first ordinary Holy Year, although he instituted an extraordinary one in 2016 dedicated to mercy.
“Spes non confundit”, “Hope does not disappoint” (Rm 5-5). This is the incipit with which the Holy Father proclaimed the Jubilee 2025. An invitation to “keep alive the torch of hope that has been given to us, and do everything possible so that we all recover the strength and certainty of looking to the future with an open mind, a confident heart and a mind with a vision of the future.
In this framework, millions of pilgrims arrive at the Eternal City to pray on the tombs of the apostles and feel united in the same faith: the jubilee itineraries and catechesis that will be held in the city of Rome, as well as the numerous routes and extra-urban itineraries that will allow us to discover unique and varied expressions of the evangelical message, which will allow the faithful to rediscover and spread the joy of the Gospel and become “pilgrims of hope”.
In that sense, Daniela – an Argentine tourist who visited Rome with her boyfriend – said that “I always wanted to get to know Rome, walk through the Colosseum and imagine the whole story that happened through that magical place, for me it was unique to be able to be there. And of course, by the way we also passed through the Holy Doors and took the opportunity to thank God for everything and for this wonderful journey he allowed us to make.”
In the Catholic tradition, the Jubilee or ‘Holy Year’ is a time dedicated “to consolidating faith and solidarity” that is celebrated every 25 years, during which the Church grants indulgences or the forgiveness of sins to all those who do works of charity and cross some of the Holy Doors: in St. Peter’s or in the other Roman basilicas.