But as of Monday night, Hernandez, 60, had not purchased the ticket because she was still trying to find a place to stay.

Hotels near the Vatican were full, she said. She was hoping a local nun could find her a place in a convent.

She's not the only person trying to get to Rome. The pope's funeral is expected to draw up to 2 million people to the city, including many tourists and pilgrims.

Normally, this time of the year is a slower period for tourism in Rome, coming after Easter and before the summer vacation period. However, demand for hotel rooms was expected to be so high that special camps were being set up in three locations on the outskirts of the city to accommodate visitors who can't find rooms.

At least one consumer group accused cafes, restaurants, grocery stores and hotels near St. Peter's Square of boosting prices to gouge visitors.

A demand spike also was affecting airline prices. On Monday afternoon, travel site Orbitz.com listed round-trip fares from Tampa to Rome in the $850 range for a departure today and a return Sunday. By early evening, those fares were more than $2,000.

Anthony Black, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines, said the carrier had only a handful of seats available today on its flights to Rome. Tuesday is normally a light travel day, he said.

Hernandez, a devout Catholic, met the pope during a trip to Rome with a religious group in November 1992. She said the pope talked to her about her Cuban heritage and then touched her head and blessed her.

``It was a very personal experience that I will remember my whole life,'' she said.

Hernandez, who serves as the office manager for husband Lazaro Hernandez's medical practice in Tampa, said the encounter led her to want to pay her respects in person.

With the pope's funeral on Friday, Hernandez said she figures she must leave by today. Otherwise, it would be unrealistic to go to Rome given what will be a long line to view the pope before the private funeral, she said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Randy Diamond can be reached at (813) 259-8144.