Pietas Comunità Gentile

Pietas Comunità Gentile, commonly referred to as Pietas, is a religious organization that represents the followers of the Traditional Roman Religion. The community was founded in 2020 by the Associazione Tradizionale Pietas (ATP).^[1]

Pietas Comunità Gentile

Formation	2020
Headquarters	Rome
Pontifex Maximus	Giuseppe Barbera
Website	https://tradizioneromana.org/

Since the 2000s, the ATP^[2] has been undertaking projects to reconstruct various temples ^[3] across Italy and began the legal process to obtain official recognition^[4] from the state, drawing inspiration from similar organizations in other European countries such as the associations Thyrsus and YSEE in Greece.

As part of the ATP, the Comunità Gentile contributed to the revival of classical worship since 2009, building temples and places of worship throughout Italy. Every year, the association organizes public celebrations, such as the Natale di Roma, as well as private religious gatherings.^[5]

Since 2010, under the ATP, the Comunità Gentile has been registered with ECER.^[6]

On June 30, 2023, Pietas participated in the ECER meeting, where delegations from 17 nations drafted and signed the Riga Declaration,^[7] aimed at urging governments to recognize European ethnic religions. Additionally, since the beginning of the new millennium, some groups have resumed performing public rituals, such as the one on the day of the Natale di Roma.^[8][9][10]

Clockwise from upper left: rite to the tutelary Gods of Rome during Natale di Roma, rite of the Summer solstice to Apollo in Greece with the participation of YSEE, Mithraic rite in the Mithrareum of Sutri, signing of the Riga Declaration.

In 2024, Pietas, along with the Hellenic groups Thyrsus and YSEE, became part of the Mediterraneum association to defend and promote the ethnic religions of the Mediterranean Basin.^[11]

Pietas Comunità Gentile actively contributes to the contemporary continuity of ancient mystery cults through initiatives such as the Dionisiache, held in the cloister of the former Convent of the Reformed Fathers in Pulsano, in collaboration with local institutions and the Pulsano Archaeological Museum. The event, dedicated to Artemis and Dionysus, offered a symbolic and ritual reinterpretation of Roman religion, featuring elements inspired by initiatory practices—such as shamanic drumming, sacred chants, and nocturnal rites under the moon. As a national and international organization, Pietas has also constructed two active temples in the Ionian region dedicated to Apollo and Minerva, promoting a concrete revival of cultus deorum and its esoteric archetypes.^[12]

See also

• European Congress of Ethnic Religions
• Modern paganism
• Natale di Roma
• Neopaganism in Italy
• Reconstructionist Roman religion