Every year, over 200,000 people are injured in accidents on Italian roads and around 3,000 never return home.

In recent days, the community of the Colosseum Archaeological Park has been deeply affected by the sudden death of the husband of a dear colleague, who was the victim of a tragic road accident.

On Monday 16 February at 11 a.m., a prayer service will be held in the Basilica of Santa Francesca Romana, officiated by Dom Benedetto Toglia, prior of the Basilica.

Saint Francesca Romana, co-patron saint of Rome with the apostles Peter and Paul, was declared patron saint of motorists in 1950 by Pope Pius XII because, according to tradition, her Guardian Angel always accompanied her on her travels, emitting a light that allowed her to see clearly even at night.

As a sign of mourning and as the first initiative on the theme of road victims promoted by the PArCo, the Museum of the Roman Forum, located within the complex of Santa Francesca Romana, also known as Santa Maria Nova, will be closed to the public on Monday 16 February 2026.