Jubilee 2025, work begins on the renovation of Piazza Risorgimento

From tomorrow, Thursday 12 September, the renovation and semi-pedestrianization of Piazza Risorgimento, one of the main entrance routes to the Vatican, will begin. The aim is to create a city piazza which is reconfigured and full of greenery to welcome citizens and pilgrims heading to St. Peter's Basilica for the Jubilee.

"This is one of the most significant changes we will be carrying out ahead of the Holy Year,” said the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, who also serves as Extraordinary Commissioner for the Jubilee. The Mayor was speaking yesterday at the Campidoglio, at a special press conference.  He stressed that the changes were “strongly supported by the Holy See.” He added: “We want the piazza to become a comfortable place for pilgrims to pass through."

The works, being carried out by the Giubileo 2025 company, are expected to be completed in time for the start of the Jubilee. "At the moment, the piazza’s function as a large traffic roundabout takes priority over that of being a real city square," continued Gualtieri. “Thanks to the new works, the southern part that borders the Vatican will be pedestrianized and Piazza Risorgimento will finally become a restful space like Piazza Cavour."

The traffic flow in this area of ​​the Prati neighbourhood will also change, as Mario De Sclavis, Commander of the Local Police, explained at the Press Conference. "There will be two phases of traffic changes. In the first temporary phase, starting on Thursday 12 September, the traffic direction will be maintained but in a more restricted mode, with traffic flows coming from Via Cola di Rienzo and Via Crescenzio able to reach Viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo through a lane on the northern side of the piazza, while those coming from the opposite direction will be able to use the central lane that is currently reserved for public transport." The second phase will start at the beginning of November, with definitive changes to the traffic flow. "We will no longer have what is effectively a large roundabout,” said De Sclavis, “but rather a two-way traffic system on the north of the piazza, while the southern and central parts will be pedestrianized".

Also present at the press conference were Marco Sangiorgio, CEO of the Giubileo 2025 Company, Lorenza Buonaccorsi, president of Municipio I, Mario De Sclavis, Commander of the Local Police, Alessandro Flaccovio, Head of Project Management at Giubileo 2025 and Alessandro Cambi, Co-founder of ITS Architettura.

The remodelling of the piazza is an attempt to make it a restful area for families, young people and adults. "We will take away the asphalt and replace it with limestone,” explained Flaccovio. “Thus we will create a ‘flexible’ area, with spaces for recreation and rest, and we will install flower boxes, tables, and a staircase". People will see the architectural continuity of the new space with works in the adjacent via Ottaviano, which will be completed by the end of September. From via Ottaviano to piazza Risorgimento, Cambi emphasized, "we have tried to use homogeneous materials. One of the persistent themes is ‘nature’, and so we will plant maples and deciduous plants, whose foliage will change color during the year, which will also change the profile of the piazza itself".