Eyewitness: A week in Rome
By CNN's Susanna Flood
 |  Hundreds of Polish flags could be seen in the Via della Conciliazione. |
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| SPECIAL REPORT |
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ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The mood on the Via della Conciliazione has been changing throughout the week.
The road, leading from the Castel Sant'Angelo and the River Tiber up to St. Peter's Square, is the main thoroughfare for reaching the Vatican and the heart of events marking the death of Pope John Paul II.
On Saturday, as people waited for the latest news of the ailing pope, it was a busy walkway for reaching the Vatican during the pope's last hours.
The street was closed to traffic and crowds thronged the street, passing the shops selling memorabilia to join pilgrims in the enclosed area around Saint Peter's Square.
The crowds intensified that night after the announcement of the pope's death, as people came together to pay tribute to the Holy Father. All traffic reached a stand still as the surrounding area effectively became a pedestrian zone.
On Saint Peter's Square, there was a stillness as mourners came together. Some weeping. Some praying. Some lighting candles. Some just standing in silent vigil. In the middle of the square a crowd gathered under a lone Polish flag, mournfully singing what was said to be the pope's favorite song.
By the beginning of the week, after the pope's body had been carried through Saint Peter's Square to lie in rest below the Basilica, the road was completely closed to pedestrians.
Queues began to form between the rapidly-erected barricades to pay a final visit to this much-loved pontiff as his body was revealed to the public.
The lone Polish flag of Saturday night had been joined by hundreds of others as thousands of Poles gathered in memory of their beloved Karol Wojtyla. Police checkpoints were manned at the entry to the road blocking pedestrian entry as further barricades went up to channel the thousands of waiting faithful.
The mood, however, was not just one of mourning. It was also one of celebration as people paid tribute to the life of this remarkable man.
The sound of arias and prayers played over loud speakers and images of religious services were shown on giant television screens erected along the road for the queuing pilgrims.
But more noticeably, the singing emanated from the crowds. Some were religious songs but others were more jubilant. I even heard one crowd chanting, like a football crowd, "the holy father", punctuated by loud clapping.
Another sound that could not be missed was that of ambulance sirens. First aid points were erected all along the Via della Conciliazione as temperatures soared and people, young and old, collapsed in the intensity of the heat, made worse by the huge number of people crowded together.
Those at the end of the queues had to come prepared for that heat but also carrying blankets and coats to prepare themselves for the sharp cold that hits as sun sets.
On Thursday night, as the world awaited the funeral, the queue to visit the pope had been cut short. But by now the Via della Conciliazione had become more of a camp site.
Sleeping bags were lined up along the street as people wanted to make sure of a prime location for the morning service.
Polish flags were everywhere, with even a huge flag branded Gdansk spread out at the foot of the road. Each of the distinctive lamp posts had become a small shrine with memorial messages stuck to them and candles burning at their feet. One even had a Polish football shirt stuck to it!
On Friday morning more Polish flags could be seen heading towards the Vatican for the funeral. It flew proudly amongst the crowds on Saint Peter's Square, alongside flags of many nations as people marked their presence at this moment in history.
