Rome gears up for double canonization

P(by Davide Muscillo) (ANSA) – Vatican City, April 22 – Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims will be “invading” Rome for the canonization of two popes, John XXIII and John Paul II, scheduled for Sunday.BRAnd the Italian capital is getting ready with a plan to boost security across the city, particularly in Saint Peter’s Square where access will be regulated and certain areas will be off-limits.BRAlso, Rome’s Fori Imperiali will be closed to traffic daily for over two weeks, the A and B subway lines will be operating non-stop for three days, more than 2,000 municipal police officers will be deployed, and giant video screens will be placed in Saint Peter’s Square as well as in Piazza Navona, Piazza Farnese and Castel Sant’Angelo to show the ceremonies.BRMORE SECURITY, 2,430 ADDITIONAL SECURITY OFFICERS The interior ministry has intensified security across the city and around sensitive targets with an additional 2,430 police officers to be deployed for the event which will be attended by an estimated 800,000 pilgrims, 61 delegations representing 54 countries, 19 heads of State, 24 premiers and 23 ministers.BRThe municipal government has approved the following plan to welcome tourists. PEDESTRIANIZATION OF FORI IMPERIALI Via dei Fori Imperiali will be completely closed to traffic starting April 18 until May 4.BROnly pedestrians will be allowed from Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Colosseo and the total ban on all traffic will end on May 4 at 7 pm.BRNON-STOP METRO SERVICE AND REGULATIONS FOR BUSES Non-stop metro services for the A and B lines with buses connecting the subway stops with St. Peter’s have been planned.BRAlso, the number of permits for tourist buses will be the same as the number of parking spaces available, an estimated 4,326.BRThe A and B subway lines will be operating non-stop day and night on Saturday and Sunday and until 12.30 am on Monday.BROnly buses with a ‘G’ permit, granted for ‘great events’ which includes a parking space and costs 50 euros, will be allowed access.BRSecurity forces will be checking bus permits on the Rome ring road.BRThe 64 and 40 bus lines will operate 24 hours a day throughout the month of April.BRLIMITED ACCESS TO ST PETER’S AND SECURITY CORRIDOR Among the latest details in the municipality’s plan is to have “off-limit” areas in Saint Peter’s Square, delineated by barriers.BRIn order to prevent pilgrims from congregating in Saint Peter’s Square and Via della Conciliazione, beginning Saturday night, the areas will remain entirely closed to traffic as well as to pedestrians.BROn Sunday, pilgrims will be allowed to enter the square only through Via della Conciliazione, starting at 5.30 am.BROfficials will try to regulate access to the area and a “security corridor” has been planned from Piazza Venezia to Saint Peter’s, as far as Porta Cavalleggeri – a corridor intended for international delegations, security forces and ambulances.BRCRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL STREET VENDORS The municipality will boost the number of municipal police officers on duty to control traffic and crack down on illegal street vendors.BROn Saturday, 1,209 officers will be deployed in the historic city centre and 930 in the Prati-Saint Peter’s neighbourhood.BROn Sunday, 1,011 officers will be deployed in the city centre and 930 others around the Vatican.BRWASTE AND CHEMICAL TOILETS Almost 1,000 chemical toilets will be installed throughout areas in Rome expected to attract the largest crowds.BRSome 439 will be placed in the area of Saint Peter’s alone, while 541 will be allocated elsewhere in Rome.BROverall, 1,200 operators will be cleaning and collecting waste. 48-HOUR ROME PASS A card given to tourists and pilgrims will be valid for two days and will cost 28 euros.BRThe card will give unlimited access to subways, buses and trams and will enable tourists to visit monuments, museums and archaeological areas for free or with a discount.BR14-HOUR CIVIL PROTECTION AND FOUR MILLION BOTTLES OF WATER An estimated 2,630 civil protection volunteers will be on call around the clock and they will be distributing four million bottles of water.BRLARGE SCREENS AND WELCOME CENTRES In order for tourists and pilgrims to be able to watch the canonization on television, three large screens will be installed along Via dei Fori Imperiali while another four will be placed in Piazza Navona, Piazza Farnese, Castel Santi’Angelo and Piazza S. Maria Maggiore.BRViewers will be given the opportunity of watching the event live in different languages.BR/P
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