Awaiting for the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, which kicked off the Ordinary Jubilee of Hope, Rome has been affected by a series of works that have restored the ancient beauty of some of the Eternal City's iconic monuments or changed the face of streets and squares that can now be enjoyed in a renewed and unprecedented light.
Passetto di Borgo
After years of closure and a complex and meticulous restoration, the evocative fortified passage connecting the Vatican with Castel Sant'Angelo has been returned to the Romans and tourists, with a permanent programme of special guided tours also in the evenings. The entire section of the Passetto, from the Torre del Mascherino on Piazza della Città Leonina to the Bastione San Marco in Castel Sant'Angelo, can now be visited thanks to guided tours, available on the app and the Musei Italiani platform. At the Bastione San Marco, a space has been set up with works and objects recounting the historical events linked to the Passetto and Castel Sant'Angelo. A multimedia installation offers an immersive experience and a virtual tour, available on the Castel Sant'Angelo website, allows visitors to enjoy the Passetto from any location and distance. The Passetto has also been made accessible to people with walking difficulties, thanks to two new lifts and the reconfiguration of some of the slopes of the path. For more information: www.coopculture.it
Ponte Sant'Angelo
Elegant, romantic and evocative, among the most symbolic masterpieces of Rome, Ponte Sant'Angelo was recently inaugurated after the restoration of its marble statues. The ten sculptures, five on each side, were designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini to depict angels bearing the instruments of the Passion. This decoration effectively transformed the bridge from a simple link into a true path of contemplation: a monumental Via Crucis of great beauty. The restoration work ̶ designed and directed by the Sovrintendenza Capitolina as part of the PNRR-Caput Mundi programme of interventions, lasted 208 days, compared to the 231 planned, for a total cost of approximately 960,000 euro ̶ was carried out to slow down and remedy the processes of degradation that had plagued the beautiful bridge over the years.
Piazza Pia
Totally redesigned and restructured, Piazza Pia has also reopened. The famous square, which connects Castel Sant'Angelo and Via della Conciliazione, has been completely pedestrianised, with the extension of the subway along the Lungotevere in Sassia. A work of an extraordinary complexity from a technical and engineering point of view, as well as for its symbolic significance, carried out in 450 days: below the underground roadway, above the square that has become the largest urban pedestrian area in Rome capable of holding up to 150,000 people, with fountains, steps and trees.
Piazza Risorgimento
The redevelopment of Piazza Risorgimento, which began in September, has been completed. It has made the area 75 per cent pedestrianised towards the Vatican Walls, increasing the number of trees, preserving the existing ones, and enhancing the permeable surfaces. Thanks to the use of limestone, an ideal material for outdoor paving, the ground was depaved to reduce the heat in summer days. Benches have been placed along the square and pavilions will soon be built for temporary activities related to the Jubilee events, as well as for services, such as toilets and food outlets. The work is financed with 14 million euro of Jubilee funds and will be integrated with the interventions in Via Ottaviano.
Via Ottaviano
After a renovation that lasted almost 10 months, the major commercial artery leading to the Vatican has been resurfaced, with a completely new cobblestone pavement, the elimination of the central difference in level, and the creation of a single carriageway. The road, thanks to the widening of the pavements and the laying of new trees, plants, flowers and marble seats, is now largely pedestrianised and presents itself in all its extension.
Cover: Passetto di Borgo ph. Luigi di Stano
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