Rome is no stranger to over-the-top events unfolding in real time. But when a Pope dies, the Eternal City immediately enters the spotlight—and it will be even more so since this year is already a Jubilee Year, a once-every-quarter-century Catholic tradition. Over the next few weeks (yes, this an epic weeks-spanning event), Rome, already a spiritual fulcrum, will become a nexus of pilgrims, press, politicians, and protocol, and of tennis fans for the Italian Open, taking place May 6 to 18, 2025. If you’re already here, are planning to be, or are just curious about these historic traditions, here’s what to expect.
The calendar of events for the Pope’s burial and mourning period
Beginning April 23, Pope Francis will lie in state for three days in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, where mourners from around the world will gather and pay their respects. Among them should be 252 cardinals, including the 135 cardinal electors who are required to be in Rome ahead of the upcoming conclave (more on that below).
The funeral will be held at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 26. After the ceremony, Pope Francis will be interred in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s four major papal basilicas—a deeply symbolic choice that breaks with recent tradition. Most popes over the past century have been buried in the Vatican Grottoes beneath St. Peter’s.
On the day of the funeral, the Vatican enters the Novendiales, a solemn nine-day period of official mourning. During this time, St. Peter’s Basilica will periodically close for liturgies. The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel will be closed on April 26, and they are expected to have periodic closures over the course of the mourning period.
What this means for visitors to Rome
Rome will not come to a full stop, but traffic will be very challenging to navigate, especially in and around Vatican City and in the Esquilino neighborhood where Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore is located. To complicate matters further, 2025 is a Jubilee Year, and millions of pilgrims have already planned to visit Rome. Many are already here, including the 300,000 some pilgrims coming for the now-postponed April 27 canonization of Carlo Acutis, a British-born Italian teenager and computer whiz beatified in 2020 and on the fast track to sainthood (the new date had not been announced at press time). Expect long, wrap-around-the-neighborhood lines of visitors queuing for the pope’s viewing, funeral, and burial, along with tight security, rerouted transportation, and traffic bans.
What about air and rail travel?
If you’re worried you might be bumped for a cardinal, it’s not likely, but you might find yourself sharing the skies (or train platforms) with diplomats, pilgrims, politicians, and priests. In the days leading up to the funeral and throughout the conclave period (details about which we have outlined below), Rome will experience waves of high-level arrivals, including heads of state, dignitaries, and religious leaders.
That means crowded airports, longer security lines, and potential delays are all real possibilities.
Diplomatic traffic could lead to airspace congestion or rescheduled arrivals, particularly at Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), the main international airport in Rome. On the day of the funeral, travelers flying to, through, or from Italy should brace for flight disruptions and congestion at FCO and Rome’s secondary airport, Ciampino (CIA). Roads might be closed to unauthorized vehicles, including along the city’s major arteries and around Rome’s ring road, called Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA), similar to the sweeping road closures Rome saw in 2005 for Pope John Paul II’s funeral, when the city center was entirely shut to vehicles and the airspace over central Rome was closed.
What’s open, and what’s not
- St. Peter’s Square: Open. The gorgeous piazza and surrounding streets will be open, but you will be shoulder-to-shoulder with mourners, pilgrims, and media.
- Sistine Chapel: Closed. Don’t expect to see Michelangelo’s ceiling once the funeral gets underway or during the Novendiales mourning period. It will definitely be closed for the conclave.
- Vatican Museums: TBA. The museums may close during the mourning period or may have some sections that are closed and some that remain open.
- Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Esquilino: TBA. Pope Francis’s chosen burial church could implement some closures in the days leading up to, during, and after the burial.
- Restaurants, stores, and other events: Open. There is no rule that shops et al. must close. It is at the discretion of the owner/organizer. Make sure to check websites and call or email for additional information.
- Colosseum, Forum, and other attractions: Open. All major sites outside of Vatican City will continue with business as usual, but last-minute reservations will be hard to get, and crowds will be at an all-time high. For all tours including the Vatican, be on the lookout for schedule changes or cancellations.
- Hotels: Open. Make sure to reconfirm your reservation, given the expected surge in new arrivals. If you haven’t booked your hotel or vacation rental yet for now through May, good luck.
What is the process for electing a new pope?
The conclave, the tradition-steeped election of a new pope by the College of Cardinals, is held inside the Sistine Chapel. While the exact date has yet to be announced, every voting cardinal must be in Rome before it starts. In 2005, the conclave began 16 days after Pope John Paul II’s funeral. If you do the math from viewing to funeral to Novendiales, the conclave could begin around May 5 this time. Add to that the Italian Open (taking place May 6 to 18), where Italian player and world number one Jannik Sinner will be drawing thousands of tennis fans to the capital, and you’ve got a recipe for major crowding on the roads, rails, and runways from now until at least mid-May.
During the conclave, the Sistine Chapel will be closed to the public, as the cardinals gather in strict secrecy to vote. The process can last a few days, maybe longer, until a decision is reached. When that moment comes, the world sees the signal: White smoke rises from the chapel’s chimney, and it seems like everyone in Rome rushes to St. Peter’s Square for the declaration “Habemus Papam.” On the basilica balcony, the senior cardinal, surrounded by the others, announces, “We have a Pope!” and introduces the new pope by name and title, and then it’s over.
Will it affect travel? Only if you need to cross the city when the unpredictable announcement occurs.
What will happen when the new Pope is elected? Will there be a lot of events? Traditionally, there is an inauguration, but “we can’t know [what kind of events to expect]”, explains Liz Lev, art historian and Vatican expert. “The new Pope might be a low-key type trying to follow in Francis’s footsteps or someone who wants to restore the prestige of the papacy.”
If you’re in Rome now or are heading here soon, the logistical headache may be worth it. A papal succession is a special event, especially during a Jubilee Year, and no two are ever the same.
