Catholicism · 40 million pilgrims in 2025
Catholic Jubilee Giubileo
The Holy Year. The largest pilgrimage to Rome since 2000 — 40 million visitors in 12 months.
Why this pack
Central Rome during Jubilee 2025 ran 30% above its normal visitor count — network congestion is real, and single-carrier plans saturated during major Pope audiences.
Pope Francis declared 2025 a Catholic Jubilee Year, the first since 2000. Forty million pilgrims visited Rome, a record modern figure. The Holy Doors at St Peter's, St John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, and San Paolo fuori le Mura opened for the full year.
Our Jubilee pack covers Rome and the major Italian pilgrimage sites — Assisi, Loreto, Padua, Lanciano. TIM routing is preferred inside Vatican City and its immediate surroundings where our coverage testing showed the most consistent 5G.
Route and stages.
Coverage-aware breakdown of the route. We\'ve flagged the stages where carrier choice matters.
- 01
Arrival Fiumicino (FCO)
Full 5G from arrivals to the Leonardo Express.
- 02
Vatican City / St Peter's
Indoor Vodafone and TIM both work; our plan prefers TIM.
- 03
The Four Basilicas
San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Paolo fuori le Mura.
- 04
Assisi extension
Full 4G/5G via TIM through the basilica and the upper town.
Sacred notes.
- Some Vatican Museums limit photography in the Sistine Chapel — audio only.
- Pope audiences (Wednesdays) and Angelus (Sundays) create crowd congestion in St Peter's Square.
- Italian-language tour groups are the norm — pre-book an English tour if needed.
Best season: Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October). Avoid July and August for both heat and crowds.
Catholic Jubilee questions.
- The 2025 Jubilee officially ran December 2024 through January 2026. Standard Catholic pilgrimage to Rome continues year-round.
After the journey