Italians have been part of Philadelphia’s history since the 18th century, with an initial, relatively small wave of immigration followed by the large influx between the 1880s and the 1920s, which made South Philadelphia predominantly Italian American. Immigrants arrived mainly from central and southern Italy, including Calabria, Campania, Sicily, Puglia and Abruzzo, crossing the Atlantic in pursuit of the American dream. Today, Italian Americans remain one of the largest ethnic groups in the Philadelphia region, and organizations such as AISPhila continue to keep the Italian language, traditions and cultural ties with Italy alive.

More than a century later, L’Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, is bringing its role as Italy’s Capital of Culture 2026 to the United States, and specifically to Philadelphia. From October 21 to 24, Pennsylvania city will host a week-long program of cultural and political events, with Mayor Pierluigi Biondi attending the full schedule. The week is being organized by Gran Caffè L’Aquila, founded in Philadelphia by young citizens from L’Aquila, with the support and participation of major local Italian American organizations, including the America-Italy Society of Philadelphia (AISPhila) and PI-Philly.

The institutional highlight of the week will undoubtedly take place on October 23, when Mayor Biondi will visit Philadelphia City Hall and meet with his counterpart, Mayor Cherelle Parker. That same afternoon, AISPhila will host a presentation on Primo Giubileo by journalist and author Angelo De Nicola, introduced by Consul General Nico Frandi and Mayor Biondi.

Mayor Pierluigi Biondi said to “La Stampa Usa”: “We will be in Philadelphia in the year when L’Aquila is Italy’s Capital of Culture, and I do not believe that is a coincidence. Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love. L’Aquila is the city of the Perdonanza, the first Jubilee in history, established by Celestine V in 1294 and now a UNESCO World Heritage tradition. These are two names that speak the same language: the language of encounter”. “Generations of people from Abruzzo and Italian Americans live in Philadelphia and, more than a century later, continue to preserve a living connection with their roots. They have been, and remain, the first ambassadors of our land: they brought our language, faith, cuisine, work ethic and sense of community across the Atlantic. I am going first and foremost to thank them and to tell them about the city as it is today. I think of the young people from L’Aquila behind Gran Caffè L’Aquila, who have built a life and a business project there. They are proof that this bond has never been broken; on the contrary, it continues to intertwine with new stories”, the mayor added. “I consider culture a true social infrastructure: it allows a community to recognize itself in its history, strengthen its identity and open itself to the world. Our year as Capital of Culture gives us the opportunity to show L’Aquila for what it is today: no longer simply the city of the earthquake and reconstruction, but a center of culture, research and innovation that looks to the future and engages with the world. The meeting with Mayor Cherelle Parker is part of this vision. We want this week not to remain an isolated event, but to become the beginning of a lasting collaboration between our two cities”, concluded Biondi.

The meeting and the week-long program will reaffirm the deep and enduring bond between Italian and American culture. It will also provide an important opportunity for Philadelphia’s Italian American community to learn more about a city that was devastated by a major earthquake in 2009, but has since reinvented and rebuilt itself, and has now earned the title of Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2026.