On the Paths of the Jubilee. Pilgrims, Trains, Popes.

The exhibition Sulle vie del Giubileo. Pellegrini, treni, papi (On the roads of the Jubilee. Pilgrims, trains, popes), on the occasion of the 2025 Jubilee, was promoted by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, FS Italiane and FS Italiane Foundation, with the support of the Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma, in collaboration with the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali, ANAS (FS Italiane Group) and the Archeolog ETS Association, and with the patronage of the Amici dell’Accademia dei Lincei Association.

The exhibition opened with a section curated by the Special Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Rome, in collaboration with the Archeolog ETS Association, retracing the ancient pilgrimage routes to Rome that emerged after the construction of the first St. Peter’s Basilica.

The second section, curated by FS Italiane and the FS Italiane Foundation, in collaboration with the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage and ANAS (FS Italiane Group), illustrated the transformation of the pilgrim’s means of travel. It also explored—through the works of writers, painters, and musicians—the crucial importance of the locomotive during the nineteenth century as a symbol of progress. In the final room, a Cinematic Virtual Reality production, accessible through headsets, offered an immersive experience of Pope Pius IX’s train (1846–1878), preserved at the Centrale Montemartini in Rome.