Visiting Rome

Welcome to the Bishops’ Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican! It is a great privilege to be a pilgrim to Rome, where you are at the Heart of the Catholic Church with the opportunity to pray with the Holy Father and walk in the footsteps of the saints.

Whether you are visiting Rome for the first time, or are returning once again, the Bishops’ Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican can help you request tickets for Papal Audiences and Liturgies. We can also provide information to help you plan your pilgrimage so that it may be a truly prayerful experience.

CNS photo/Lola Gomez

Our office is located at the Casa Santa Maria, the house of studies for American priests pursuing graduate studies in Rome, just a few blocks away from the Trevi Fountain. The Visitors’ Office is sponsored by the Pontifical North American College and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The office is staffed by the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan. When you come to collect your tickets, you will also have the opportunity to meet some of the seminarians of the Pontifical North American College, for whom welcoming pilgrims at the Visitors’ Office is part of their preparation for the priesthood.

CNS photo/Lola Gomez

On these pages, you can find a lot of information that we hope can be helpful to you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we will be happy to try to help you.

Drop-in hours for pilgrims, before and during Holy Week:

Come visit us at Via dell’Umiltà 30, (00187 Rome) during the following hours, if you would like an orientation to one of the Holy Week events with the Holy Father, and/or to receive the sacrament of Confession in English:

  • Saturday, March 28: 2:30-4:30 PM
  • Tuesday, March 31: 3:00-5:00 PM
  • Good Friday, April 3: 10:00 AM – 12:00 noon

Directions to Our Office

Via Dell’Umiltà, 30, is very near to the Trevi Fountain.  From the Trevi Fountain, facing it, look to the left..  Take the street called Via Delle Muratte.  Then, take the first left (after “Gelato Italiano”) onto Via Delle Vergini (the street sign is difficult to see).  Follow Via Delle Vergini until you come to the crossing street Via Dell’Umiltà.  Take a left onto Via Dell’Umiltà.  On your right you will shortly see a large door with an arch over it, # 30 (not 30a or 30b). There is a plaque that says “Casa Santa Maria”.  That is our office!     

May your pilgrimage to Rome be truly blessed!