Keith Pitt’s warning for Australians travelling to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral

Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Keith Pitt, has warned visitors thinking of arriving for Pope Francis’ funeral and the conclave which elects the new Pope, that the inn is full.

People queue to pay their respects to late Pope Francis as his body lies in state, outside St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday night. Picture: Stefano Rellandini / AFP

Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Keith Pitt, has warned visitors thinking of arriving for Pope Francis’ funeral and the conclave which elects the new Pope, that the inn is full.

Thousands of pilgrims have converged upon Vatican City and Rome to see Francis lying in state and to witness his funeral on Saturday, on top of tour groups which had already booked out much of the city for the Catholic Church’s jubilee celebrations this year.

“If you haven’t got any accommodation secured, my expectation is there is none to be secured,’’ said Mr Pitt, the former National party politician who was appointed by Anthony Albanese to the diplomatic post earlier this year.

Mr Pitt added: “So if you don’t have somewhere to start, don’t arrive expecting that by some magic something will appear’’.

A quick check on hotel booking websites shows sporadic but extremely expensive accommodation is available for one or two nights, but check your bank balance first.

The Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá has a couple of rooms, the cheapest of which is A$8950 a night.

Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Keith Pitt.

The InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace has just one room left, a one bedroom suite which is A$11648 for a two night stay.

Closer to the Vatican only isolated rooms are available in various guest houses, which are priced from around A$1205 for the eve of the Pope’s funeral.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to file past the Pope lying in state inside St Peter’s Basilica. The pressure on the accommodation has been made even more intense with block bookings by various embassies, not just for heads of state and delegations, but their security staff.

Australia’s delegation, headed by the Governor General Sam Mostyn, will be at least 20 strong while the US president Donald Trump is usually accompanied by scores of vehicles in an elaborate motorcade.