Quo Vadis - Saints Peter and Paul Pilgrimage Event

A pilgrimage on the feast day of Rome's patron saints

«Quo Vadis» is a pilgrimage event that brings the streets of Rome to life every June 29th, the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. More than just a procession, it is a city-wide experience of walking, art, spirituality, and connection, inviting locals and pilgrims alike to retrace the fundamental sites of the two apostles' presence in the Eternal City, from their preaching to their martyrdom.

Two routes: the Via di Pietro and the Via di Paolo

The event unfolds along two parallel yet converging urban paths that meet in the Imperial Fora area before concluding together in St. Peter's Square:

• Via di Pietro (approx. 7 km): Starts at the Basilica of Santa Pudenziana on the Esquiline Hill, built upon the home of Senator Pudens, who hosted the apostle Peter. It passes by San Pietro in Vincoli, Santa Francesca Romana, the Mamertine Prison, the Basilica of San Marco, and Santa Maria in Via Lata, ending at the obelisk in St. Peter's Square.
• Via di Paolo (13.6 km): Starts at the Basilica of San Sebastiano on the Appian Way, the «Regina Viarum» (Queen of Roads) traveled by the apostles to reach Rome. It crosses the Domine Quo Vadis church, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Santa Prisca, Santa Sabina, and the Mamertine Prison, before arriving at St. Peter's Basilica.

The Apostle's Passport

At the start of the journey, each participant receives an «Apostle's Passport», where they collect credentials—stamps verifying their passage at each milestone. Those who complete the route receive a blessed stone, a small symbolic token of the pilgrimage undertaken in the footsteps of Peter and Paul.

An event in the heart of Rome

For one day, «Quo Vadis» transforms Rome's historic center into a vast open-air itinerary connecting early Christian basilicas, catacombs, monuments of the Fora, and sites of martyrdom. Participation is free and requires no registration: you can walk the entire route or join along the way, with a common arrival point in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

Organizers

The pilgrimage is promoted by the Vicariate of Rome and Vatican City through the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (Office for the Pastoral Care of Pilgrimages), with the patronage and collaboration of the Municipality of Rome (Roma Capitale), the Ministry of Culture, CONI, and Panathlon International Agro Romano. The initiative is part of the broader celebrations for the patron saints' solemnity, which include prayer vigils and other events in the heart of the capital.