Rome marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Thursday 8 December - a Catholic holy day and a national public holiday in Italy - with a series of traditions and special events. Pope Francis will pay homage to the Virgin Mary by making a pilgrimage to Piazza Mignanelli near the Spanish Steps at 16.00.

In a tradition dating back to 1958, the pope will leave a floral wreath at the base of the 19th-century Column of the Immaculate Conception in the piazza. Firefighters will then place the flowers on the top of the 12 metre-high statue of the Madonna, in a ceremony usually attended by Rome's mayor.