“The last mile” of pilgrims is completely reorganized with the recovery of a disused railway section and a stable reception dedicated to the entrance to St. Peter’s.
VATICAN, NOVEMBER 18th
Thanks to the agreement between the Fabbrica di San Pietro and the Fondazione Homo Viator – San Teobaldo of the Diocese of Vicenza, a stable volunteer service has been active in St. Peter’s since last May to welcome and accompany wayfarers along the route, up to the destination: St. Peter’s Basilica.
Romea Strata (this is the name of the initiative and the path of the same name) combines tradition, spirituality and hospitality. In addition to the reserved route in St. Peter’s Square to avoid the tourist lines at the daily Pilgrim’s Mass, all travelers have access to the digital and systematized collection of their arrival data (as is already the case in Assisi or Santiago) and the recognition of the Testimonium certificate, a precious parchment with the icons of Saints Peter and Paul, given to all pilgrims, regardless of the distance they have traveled, as long as it is no less than one hundred kilometers.
In the morning and afternoon, the volunteers, already trained, welcome pilgrims who arrive on foot and by bicycle at the station set up in the square at the “varco oranti”. But also on horseback.
Alberto Castello de Pereda, “pilgrim for peace” (as he identifies himself) is Spanish, who arrived in Rome on foot in recent days directly from Jerusalem at the end of a long and difficult journey, made even more treacherous by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last May, a couple from Pisa, instead, arrived in St. Peter’s Square on horseback. There are countless pilgrims arriving by bicycle. From June to October 2024, 3,700 Testimonium were issued by the Basilica’s reception staff.
The Jubilee 2025 represents an extraordinary opportunity for spiritual renewal and encounter. As in past centuries, even today those who become pilgrims experience in their lives the journey with God, the desire to grow their faith and to reach the destination with heartfelt prayer. And one of the significant experiences of this Jubilee Year is undoubtedly represented by active volunteering to welcome pilgrims from all over the world to Rome.
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and President of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, declared: «We are happy that the Homo Viator – San Teobaldo Foundation helps us welcome pilgrims who come from all over the world to the tomb of the Apostle Peter. This attention and closeness allows them to feel more welcomed and welcomed in this unique place, dear to all the faithful of the world. In this way it is possible to encourage meditation, the moment of interiority that is created during the silence of the long journey of faith”.
“The agreement with the Fabbrica di San Pietro is a source of great satisfaction. We are the only path that has been able to organize a stable volunteer service for pilgrims to the destination. Our mission is to make the arrival in Rome a moment of great spiritual significance” explains Don Raimondo Sinibaldi of the Homo Viator Foundation – San Teobaldo.
THE NEW ROUTE
A significant innovation concerns the modification of the last stretch that leaves the Via Trionfale in favor of a new, simpler, safer and more pleasant route, which approaches the Basilica from a new perspective, making entry to Rome easier and safer. The new route, which leads pilgrims directly to St. Peter’s, offers an incomparable perspective on the city.
“This new entrance will not only improve safety, but will also provide a unique experience, allowing us to intensely experience the spirituality that characterizes our journey to the new Jerusalem. I therefore thank the protagonists of these works, from the partners Amodo and GreenWays to the institutions RFI and Roma Capitale” adds Don Raimondo Sinibaldi.
RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana) and Roma Capitale are recovering a disused railway section as well as the Monte Ciocci tunnel, closed for about ten years, enhancing the landscape and creating a favorable atmosphere for the arrival at St. Peter’s.
The presentation of the new Romea Strata guide, in collaboration with the publisher Terre di mezzo, will soon be announced: the product will offer a detailed tracing of over a thousand kilometers of the route, highlighting not only its historical connotation, but also the points of socio-cultural and natural interest along the way. The guide will be a fundamental tool for all those who wish to undertake this journey, offering narrative and practical details from the starting point in Tarvisio to Rome.
www.romeastrata.org/miliarium/
VATICAN, NOVEMBER 18th
Thanks to the agreement between the Fabbrica di San Pietro and the Fondazione Homo Viator – San Teobaldo of the Diocese of Vicenza, a stable volunteer service has been active in St. Peter’s since last May to welcome and accompany wayfarers along the route, up to the destination: St. Peter’s Basilica.
Romea Strata (this is the name of the initiative and the path of the same name) combines tradition, spirituality and hospitality. In addition to the reserved route in St. Peter’s Square to avoid the tourist lines at the daily Pilgrim’s Mass, all travelers have access to the digital and systematized collection of their arrival data (as is already the case in Assisi or Santiago) and the recognition of the Testimonium certificate, a precious parchment with the icons of Saints Peter and Paul, given to all pilgrims, regardless of the distance they have traveled, as long as it is no less than one hundred kilometers.
In the morning and afternoon, the volunteers, already trained, welcome pilgrims who arrive on foot and by bicycle at the station set up in the square at the “varco oranti”. But also on horseback.
Alberto Castello de Pereda, “pilgrim for peace” (as he identifies himself) is Spanish, who arrived in Rome on foot in recent days directly from Jerusalem at the end of a long and difficult journey, made even more treacherous by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last May, a couple from Pisa, instead, arrived in St. Peter’s Square on horseback. There are countless pilgrims arriving by bicycle. From June to October 2024, 3,700 Testimonium were issued by the Basilica’s reception staff.
The Jubilee 2025 represents an extraordinary opportunity for spiritual renewal and encounter. As in past centuries, even today those who become pilgrims experience in their lives the journey with God, the desire to grow their faith and to reach the destination with heartfelt prayer. And one of the significant experiences of this Jubilee Year is undoubtedly represented by active volunteering to welcome pilgrims from all over the world to Rome.
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and President of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, declared: «We are happy that the Homo Viator – San Teobaldo Foundation helps us welcome pilgrims who come from all over the world to the tomb of the Apostle Peter. This attention and closeness allows them to feel more welcomed and welcomed in this unique place, dear to all the faithful of the world. In this way it is possible to encourage meditation, the moment of interiority that is created during the silence of the long journey of faith”.
“The agreement with the Fabbrica di San Pietro is a source of great satisfaction. We are the only path that has been able to organize a stable volunteer service for pilgrims to the destination. Our mission is to make the arrival in Rome a moment of great spiritual significance” explains Don Raimondo Sinibaldi of the Homo Viator Foundation – San Teobaldo.
THE NEW ROUTE
A significant innovation concerns the modification of the last stretch that leaves the Via Trionfale in favor of a new, simpler, safer and more pleasant route, which approaches the Basilica from a new perspective, making entry to Rome easier and safer. The new route, which leads pilgrims directly to St. Peter’s, offers an incomparable perspective on the city.
“This new entrance will not only improve safety, but will also provide a unique experience, allowing us to intensely experience the spirituality that characterizes our journey to the new Jerusalem. I therefore thank the protagonists of these works, from the partners Amodo and GreenWays to the institutions RFI and Roma Capitale” adds Don Raimondo Sinibaldi.
RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana) and Roma Capitale are recovering a disused railway section as well as the Monte Ciocci tunnel, closed for about ten years, enhancing the landscape and creating a favorable atmosphere for the arrival at St. Peter’s.
The presentation of the new Romea Strata guide, in collaboration with the publisher Terre di mezzo, will soon be announced: the product will offer a detailed tracing of over a thousand kilometers of the route, highlighting not only its historical connotation, but also the points of socio-cultural and natural interest along the way. The guide will be a fundamental tool for all those who wish to undertake this journey, offering narrative and practical details from the starting point in Tarvisio to Rome.
www.romeastrata.org/miliarium/