Rome is this weekend braced for an invasion of more than 630,000 pilgrims to attend the St Peter's ceremony at which Pope John Paul II will beatify Padre Pio, the Capuchin friar from Pietralcina in Benevento, considered a saint by hundreds of thousands of Catholics, not only because of his celebrated "stigmata" (the bleeding wounds of Christ) but also because of his many reported intercessions with God on their behalf.
In what many observers deem to be a dress rehearsal for the celebrations next year to mark the Holy Jubilee, the resources of the "Eternal City" will be stretched to the limit by an influx of pilgrims which unofficial estimates put as high as one million.
A satellite monitor and a 2,000-strong force of traffic police will be on hand to cope with the pilgrims, most of whom will travel to Rome in a 5,130-strong fleet of buses, with others arriving on 17 special trains and at least 35,000 travelling by car.
The faithful's pilgrimage will have two focal points: St Peter's Square, where the Pope presides over the Beatification ceremony in front of 150,000 people, and Piazza San Giovanni across town, where another 250,000 faithful will watch the ceremony on a giant screen and attend an open-air Mass.
Rome City Council has made elaborate preparations, ranging from the closure to traffic of sections of the city close to the Vatican, through to the provision of 1,000 portable toilets and 10,000 extra refuse cans for a ceremony expected to cost more than £800,000 (of which the church will contribute £110,000).
The Mayor of Rome, Mr Francesco Rutelli, has urged those without "beatification" tickets not to travel to Rome while also calling on the "non-faithful" to make the most of the May Day weekend holiday and leave the city.
The Padre Pio beatification comes on a very busy weekend which also features a traditional May Day open-air rock concert, the International Tennis Championships and the football game between AS Roma and Inter Milan (moved to Monday night).