Rome’s 2025 Jubilee: the Eternal City Returns to Luxury and Magnificence

Over 30 million pilgrims are expected in Rome this year for the Jubilee, a celebration initiated by the Pope. A tradition that dates back to the 16^th century and takes place every twenty-five years. Major improvements have been made in recent years, not only regarding to public transportation, but also to several historical monuments and museums. “Rome is steadily becoming a tourist capital”, says the city's mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, who believes that the city's policy has made it more attractive.

An event, RISE – Rome Insights style Experience, has even been set up with the department and the region to promote Rome as a major destination for high-profile international events. The luxury travel sector is a fundamental lever for the economic development of the city and the State has set up a program to fully exploit its potential. “We have just had a record year with 51.4 million visitors in 2024; the luxury sector is experiencing a very positive phase,” says Alessandro Onorato, the deputy Mayor of Rome for tourism. Expenditure by high-end tourists is increasing thanks to our strategy of focusing on major events: in 2024 the average room occupancy rate in 5-star hotels was 77.4% and arrivals increased by 6.2% in 2023.”

In recent years, Rome has seen a significant development in the luxury hotel sector, with more than 1,500 new rooms in 14 recently opened hotels and an investment volume that reached 412 million euros in 2023 alone. Luxury Travel Intelligence (LTI), an independent platform specializing in the analysis and evaluation of the high-end tourism sector, has ranked the city second in the world for new openings of ultra-luxury hotels in 2024, ahead of international metropolises such as New York, Sydney, Singapore and Tokyo. Rome is also becoming the most sought-after and chosen destination for a new generation of high-end travelers from the BRICS countries.

Just a stone's throw from the Piazza di Spagna, Bulgari opened its ninth hotel a few months ago, opposite the Mausoleum of Augustus. From its terrace, you can enjoy the most beautiful 360° view of the city of seven hills. The palace is incredibly luxurious and offers the quintessential jeweler-watchmaker experience: the marble door frames are reminiscent of Bulgari's historic boutique on Via dei Condotti, and the suite features a replica of the mosaic designed by Livia Drusilla, spouse of Emperor Augustus, for their summer residence in Prima Porta. Its immense marble walls, its hazelnut corridors and its swimming pool from which the fluted columns, symbols of the Roman Empire, seem to emerge, evoke the spirit of Rome and its modernity.

And to feel it intimately, there is nothing better than going up to the spectacular roof terrace, where you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the stairs of the church of Trinità dei Monti, the Tiber and the Villa Medici. “Bulgari is Roman, it was born there 140 years ago. Rome is our inspiration, which makes the brand almost a thousand years old and its legitimacy cannot be questioned," Jean-Christophe Babin, Chairman and CEO of Bulgari, told us shortly after the inauguration. "We love and claim its symbols, its universality. That is why we stand apart among the icons of luxury, because our products embody values.

Our brand is known for its roots in antiquity, the faces of emperors on our watches are inspired by its history.” The love story between Rome and Bulgari is not new. Founded in 1884 by the talented Greek goldsmith, Sotirio Bulgari, the company has since drawn its inspiration from the two thousand years of history, art and architecture of the city to which all roads lead: the eight-pointed star, the octagon and the Serpenti.