THE POPE HAS DIED: WHAT HAPPENS NOW

April 21 | 88 year old Pope Francis has died. It is a devastating blow to Catholics around the world, and invariably sets in motion a centuries-old series of events that, let’s face it, impact a trip of a lifetime to visitors of Rome (and other holy sites around the world). So if you’re in Rome, what happens now?

Step 1: Mourning

Every major Catholic church in the world now goes into mourning. This means that major churches around the world, such as Notre Dame in Paris, will close to tourism but remain open for reflective prayer, contemplation, and mass. Check with your tour operator if you have a tour of a major Catholic church in any city in the world if they have not contacted you yet. No doubt they’re swamped with work right now and may be slow to reach out with information, so please be understanding and patient. If you scheduled a dome climb at, for example, St Peter’s or the Duomo in Florence, check official websites for information. It’s likely those tourist activities will be canceled.

The Sistine Chapel will close one or two days after the Pope’s death to prepare for conclave (the election of the new Pope). The Vatican Museums should remain open, but check official websites to make sure.

The Pope’s earthly remains will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. With it being the week after Easter, a Jubilee year, and the beginning of the high tourist season in Rome, expect wall-to-wall, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

Step 2: The Funeral

Four to five days after the Pope’s death, the funeral is held in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The funeral will be attended by world leaders, so expect heavier security than usual and random closures around the Basilica.

After the funeral is the burial, which usually takes place in the crypts below St Peter’s but Pope Francis specifically requested he be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore. If you’re planning a visit to that church, be aware of random closures and increased security and restricted activity around the church, especially during the Pope’s funeral.

Step 3: The Conclave

Conclave, or the election of the new Pope, takes place 15 - 20 days after a pope dies. This takes place in the Sistine Chapel. During this period, cardinals are sequestered within the Vatican, and each day they vote for a new pope. This process can take a week or it can take a month… it just depends on how contentious the election is. Each evening after all voting has finished for the day, the conclave announces its progress to the public by way of either white or black smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, which can be seen from the Piazza San Pietro. Black indicates no new pope has been elected, white indicates a new pope has been elected.

Expect Piazza San Pietro to be absolutely packed with faithful, media, and onlookers all day every day. It will be an absolute madhouse, but it’s also history in the making. If I were in Rome during a new pope’s election, I would brave the crowds and check it out.

Step 4: Rome after Conclave

After the white smoke has been spotted, that evening the newly elected Pope will appear on a balcony above Piazza San Pietro to greet the faithful. Expect tourists to be restricted due to safety and security.

Immediately after conclave ends, the Sistine Chapel is cleared and cleaned and ready for visitors again. Expect at least two days of closure to remain after the end of conclave while they ready the chapel for the public.

After five or six days of ceremony and meetings after election, the new Pope is inaugurated in St. Peter’s, followed by a mass. The church and the piazza are closed to the public, and expect that closure to happen for at least an entire day. Check your tour operator or official websites for more information

And that’s a brief rundown of what to expect. Around Rome and in Catholic cathedrals around the world, expect church bells, mourning, celebrations, and random closures.

DO EUROPEANS REALLY HATE AMERICAN TRAVELERS?

April 19 | One of the hottest trends on social media these days is Americans thinking they can’t travel anywhere outside the U.S. without a torrent of vitriol directed toward them due to the current administration’s outright hostility toward our once cherished allies.

But is this true? Do Europeans really hate us? Should we plaster Canadian flags all over our luggage to try to trick people into thinking we’re Canadian? Should we try speaking in a different accent? How should we act if someone confronts us?

Y’all, in the wise, immortal words of Holly Johnson, RELAX.

Do Europeans really hate us?

No. No they don’t. Europeans hate our government, and with good reason. But there is no hatred toward the average American tourist who is kind, respectful, learns at least a few words of the language, and keeps their damned voices down in public. In other words, Europeans don’t hate us because of our government, but they would (and do) hate us for being lousy travelers. So don’t be. And lay off the “jokes” about Canada or Greenland becoming part of the U.S. It’s not funny, it’s offensive af, and it’s trying to make light of deep, well-founded fear and anger that Denmark, Canada, and Greenland… and indeed all of the EU… is feeling right now. And tell your uncle to leave the red hat at home. Or better yet, stay home himself.

Should we pretend we’re from a different country to avoid issues?

Please NO, omg. Honestly there is so much wrong with that approach I don’t even know where to start. First of all, you’re not fooling anyone so just rid yourself of that thought right about yesterday. Second of all, Americans “pretending” to be Canadians by plastering maple leaves all over their backpacks is just so deeply offensive to a country that is right now being inexplicably targeted by their neighbor with the biggest and most lethal military in the world… you guys. Come on. Please don’t pour salt in the wound. You will be pegged as Americans immediately, so own it and double-down on being an excellent example of thoughtful and respectful tourists. You’ll quickly find that you’ll be rewarded with kindness and respect in return.

What if we’re confronted about our government’s actions?

Well then it’s a great way to start a dialogue. And chances are, you won’t be “confronted” the way we think of the word… rather, you may be politely asked for your thoughts. And feel free to be brutally honest. A shop keeper in Florence who spoke very little English recently put her question into Google translate to ask what I thought of the president. I Google translated back my answer, and we had a great chat about the situation.

Here’s the thing: Americans have some intense Main Character Energy. I say this with love but, stop thinking the world revolves around you. No one in Europe is going to be mad at you if you’re cool, I promise you that.

I will say that on a recent trip to Rome (and I found the same thing when I traveled around Europe during the George W Bush administration, though not as intensely) I was treated with probably more kindness, more empathy, and more sympathy than I expected. Europe is a collection of nations that have had to deal with variations of what we’re dealing with, or got too close for comfort to it, in their very recent past. And some European nations have some horrors in their past that they’re still trying to atone for to this day. They know exactly how it feels. While many folks may not understand the complexities of our system of government, they do understand not voting for something horrible but watching it unfold anyway. If someone asks you about our current political climate in the U.S., this is a great way to bond and share ideas.

The bottom line is: be a good tourist, and Europe will be good to you in return, no matter who is in the White House. They don’t hate you, I promise.

JUBILEE YEAR IN ROME

Yes yes yes, 2025 is Jubilee year in Rome. What does it mean, why do they do it, and what can you expect when you travel there in 2025?

What the heck is Jubilee?

The Jubilee year is declared by the Pope every 25 years. It’s a year-long celebration where Catholic pilgrims are welcomed into the city and into the Vatican for something called “plenary indulgence,” or kind of a blanket forgiveness of sins. Pope Boniface VIII declared the first Jubilee all the way back in the 14th century, and it’s been a thing every 33 or 25 years since. The idea dates back to the Bible and for Catholics, it represents a time of spiritual renewal.

What are some key things that happen during Jubilee year?

One of the coolest things to expect is the traditional opening of the Holy Doors. This happens at the churches of Saint Peter's Basilica, San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore, and San Paolo Fuori le Mura. These are special doors that are only opened on Jubilee years, expressly for the admittance of the faithful.

I’m traveling to Rome in 2025. What does it mean for me?

Well what it means is, in addition to the like 40 million visitors that usually descend on Rome, you can expect an additional approx. 35 million to flock to the city in search of enlightenment and forgiveness… or just spectacle. This means the major sites will be filled to capacity, restaurants will be short of reservations, tours will be to capacity, and short-term rentals and hotels will be maxed out. The places that do have availability will be priced accordingly. When looking for a hotel room for early April, I watched one room literally more than double its price half way through the week and on throughout the rest of the year.

Well shoot. What should I do?

If you haven’t already booked your flights and your accommodation, I would honestly postpone your trip until 2026, or choose other spots in Italy to visit that aren’t Rome… though honestly Florence and Venice will probably be more packed than normal with folks traveling there before or after Rome for Jubilee.

If you have already booked, seriously prepare and pace yourself. Get to “free” sites like the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps at sunrise, and plan those walking food or cocktail or golf cart tours for as late in the evening as you can.

Do not plan to do more than one major site a day. The crowds will be merciless, as will the heat. If you’re doing the Colosseum, save the Vatican Museums (and only if you can get there right at opening or snag the very last tickets of the day… do NOT go at any other time unless you like conditions so crowded that it’s unsafe) for a different day, save the Pantheon for still a different day, etc.

Make your dinner reservations as early as humanly possible. During Jubilee year, it will become extremely difficult to just “walk into a place that looks cute.” Figure out where you want to go and make those reservations now.

Deep breaths and siestas. The Italians and the Spanish perfected the siesta, and during this Jubilee year, I suggest you do as they do. From around 1 or 2pm to around 5 or 6pm, retreat to your hotel or apartment. This is the absolute height of the insanity around the city, so get yourself well away from the crush. Read a book, take a nap, have a cool drink… whatever you can do to remove yourself.

And take lots of deep breaths. Don’t rush, give yourself plenty of time to get from point A to point B, and Rome will be as welcoming as ever.

ETIAS AND YOU

Who loves filling out more forms for travel? I do! I do!

Starting in 2026, citizens from the U.S. will need an ETIAS — European Travel Information and Authorization System — to travel to Europe.

ETA in the UK

As of January 8th of 2025, anyone traveling to the UK, even for a layover, needs an ETA. The process will be relatively the same as when the ETIAS comes on line… a £10 processing fee and a quick form, and you should be good to go within 24-48 hours. Apply here!

What is ETIAS?

The ETIAS is not a visa. Rather, it’s an “electronic entry-point, an authorization for countries that are currently visa-free,” according to Dan Hamilton from the Brookings Institute via NPR. It’s similar to to the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) that the U.S. implemented in 2008 due to a fear of a rise in terrorism after 9/11. Basically, it’s to track who’s coming and who’s going to and from the EU. Kinda like those passenger tracking forms we all had to fill out just after countries had to open up again after the pandemic.

Who needs ETIAS?

All passport holders from 60 countries who travel to the EU without a visa will need an ETIAS. This includes Americans.

Where do I apply?

Once it’s open – and currently it is not, and no one knows when it will open for sure, so keep checking the site – you’ll apply via online form on the ETIAS website.

What do I need to apply?

There will be a €7 fee, you’ll be asked to fill out your date of birth, occupation, any criminal convictions, etc., and you’ll need your passport info. And make sure your passport is not set to expire within three months.

When do I apply?

Most applications will likely be processed immediately, but to be absolutely safe, give yourself at least a 30-day cushion between your application and your travel. Your ETIAS will remain valid for three years or until the passport you used in your application expires.

A timeframe for when you can actually apply for it and when it will go into effect has not been announced yet. So keep checking that ETIAS website to see when applications open! I would bet you one whole American dollar that your airline will let you know to apply if you’ve already bought plane tickets for 2026, like they did with COVID requirements. But to be on the safe side, keep an eye out and get ready to jump on it when it pops open!

We’ll be just fine, you guys. Just oooooone more thing, am I right?

NEW RULES FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN ITALY

Feb. 25 | Like many countries, Italy has been looking for ways to attempt to preserve their identity through the onslaught of tourists. And like many countries, one of the targets have been short-term rentals like Air BnB and VRBO. What does this mean for those of us who choose short-term rentals as a relatively cheap yet spacious way to travel with family and friends? Well, not a whole lot. Here’s the beef on the skinny:

The New Rule

Specifically, as of late-2024, Italy is now banning self check-ins on short-term rentals. It turns out those super convenient lockboxes are in lots of cases affixed to centuries-old buildings are not only ruining the look of the buildings, they’re damaging the buildings themselves.

When will this take effect?

It’s already happening! Lockboxes started getting removed ahead of Jubilee.

What does this mean for me?

Well it won’t be as convenient, but this really impacts the host more, as now they’ll have to greet renters on-site. That means they’ll need to hang out in the apartment until you arrive to let you in. Personally, I don’t mind that; I like meeting the folks who own the property I’m staying at. But I’d imagine the hosts are grumbling about having to wait around potentially for hours while their guests attempt to make it from the plane, through customs, and into the city center.