A tradition born in L’Aquila more than 7 centuries ago has crossed the Atlantic, bringing the story and values of the Celestinian Forgiveness to the Italian American community in Washington, D.C.
On September 20, Casa Italiana hosted “A Conversation with Angelo De Nicola,” an event organized by the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society and Kione APS as part of L’Aquila’s year as Italian Capital of Culture 2026. The initiative was supported by the Municipality of L’Aquila and Fondazione Carispaq.
The centerpiece was the English-language edition of Angelo De Nicola’s book “The First Jubilee in History,” published by One Group Edizioni. The book explores the extraordinary legacy of Pietro da Morrone, who became Pope Celestine V and was crowned in L’Aquila on August 29, 1294.
That same year, Celestine issued the historic Bull of Forgiveness, granting a plenary indulgence to those who entered the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio sincerely repentant between August 28 and 29. The tradition has continued for more than 700 years and was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019.
The Washington conversation was moderated by L’Aquila native Natasha Rovo, an economist at the World Bank, and included Lino Del Signore, who translated the book into English, and Italo Ibi, a physician and faculty member at George Washington University. Chris Renneker, president of the Washington-area Abruzzo and Molise organization, opened the event.
The gathering also highlighted a deeply personal Italian American story. De Nicola’s grandparents left L’Aquila for Pennsylvania in 1921, where his grandfather worked in the mines near Uniontown. More than a century later, their descendants brought a piece of Abruzzo back to the United States through a book celebrating its history.
In Washington, the Celestinian Forgiveness became more than an ancient tradition – it became a living bridge connecting L’Aquila, Abruzzo and generations of Italian Americans.
