ROME — Rome has completed the most ambitious of thousands of construction works that have disrupted daily life in the Eternal City in preparation for the millions of tourists expected during the 2025 Catholic Holy Year that starts this week

Mayor Roberto Gualtieri opened a major new road junction near the Vatican on Monday (Dec 23), marking completion of an 85 million euro (S$120 million) centrepiece project among 3,200 public construction works ahead of the Holy Year, otherwise known as the Catholic Jubilee.

The new underpass near the medieval Castel Sant'Angelo redirects traffic underground and creates a pedestrian zone from the Tiber River toward St. Peter's Basilica, the centre of Catholicism and one of the world's most visited tourist sites.

The frenzy of work, however, has infuriated residents and left some visitors feeling short-changed in recent months because many tourist attractions have been behind scaffolding.

The Vatican expects 32 million tourists to descend on the Italian capital for the Holy Year, which will be opened by Pope Francis during Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's on Tuesday and will run until Jan 6, 2026.

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