The Pope is Dead: How This Will Affect Tourism in Rome
The Pope is Dead: How This Will Affect Tourism in Rome and Italy
With the recent passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the Eternal City is preparing for an unprecedented wave of visitors. His funeral, scheduled for April 26, coincides with the early months of the 2025 Catholic Jubilee Year—a period that was already projected to draw tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome. Now, with the additional global interest in honoring the late pontiff, Rome and other parts of Italy are bracing for even more significant surges in tourism. If you’re planning a trip to Rome, Naples, or the Amalfi Coast during this time, here’s what you need to know.
Expect Crowds Like Never Before
Rome is no stranger to mass tourism, but the coming weeks will stretch the city’s infrastructure to its limits. The Vatican anticipates that several hundred thousand people will attend Pope Francis’s funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica. Combined with the millions expected for the Jubilee, the streets of Rome—especially around the Vatican—will be packed with pilgrims, tourists, clergy, and media personnel.
This will not be limited to the day of the funeral. The mourning period known as “Novemdiales,” lasting nine days, will involve daily masses and public gatherings, further congesting central Rome. After that there will be the Conclave period to choose the next Pope.