All Saints’ Day in Rome is always busy, but the 16th edition of the charity ‘Corsa dei Santi’ turned the heart of the Eternal City into a 9.5-km running track on 1 November, attracting 5,000 participants from 38 countries. Starting and finishing near St Peter’s Square, the course wound past the Colosseum and Via dei Fori Imperiali, prompting police to close several arteries from 06:00 to 11:30.
ATAC diverted or shortened 25 bus lines, while tour coaches were banned from Lungotevere for the morning. Travellers heading to Fiumicino airport faced longer taxi times, and ride-share surge pricing spiked by over 50 % according to local apps. Hotels near Piazza Navona reported early check-outs to avoid roadblocks.
![Rome’s ‘Corsa dei Santi’ race closes historic centre, reroutes 25 bus lines on holiday weekend]()
The city’s mobility agency estimated average car speeds inside the Aurelian walls fell to 8 km/h, though metro lines A and B ran at full frequency. Organisers introduced two new 19.5-km circuits—the ‘Giro delle Quattro Basiliche’ and the ‘Staffetta della Pace’—as a dry-run for Jubilee Year crowd-management protocols.
The event underscores the need for real-time traffic alerts and multi-modal back-up plans for expatriates and business visitors, especially as Rome gears up for the 2026 Catholic Jubilee, when daily pilgrim numbers are forecast to exceed 150,000.
ATAC diverted or shortened 25 bus lines, while tour coaches were banned from Lungotevere for the morning. Travellers heading to Fiumicino airport faced longer taxi times, and ride-share surge pricing spiked by over 50 % according to local apps. Hotels near Piazza Navona reported early check-outs to avoid roadblocks.
The city’s mobility agency estimated average car speeds inside the Aurelian walls fell to 8 km/h, though metro lines A and B ran at full frequency. Organisers introduced two new 19.5-km circuits—the ‘Giro delle Quattro Basiliche’ and the ‘Staffetta della Pace’—as a dry-run for Jubilee Year crowd-management protocols.
The event underscores the need for real-time traffic alerts and multi-modal back-up plans for expatriates and business visitors, especially as Rome gears up for the 2026 Catholic Jubilee, when daily pilgrim numbers are forecast to exceed 150,000.
