Returning to Our Roots ~ Celebrating over 400 Years of Tradition in Lenola

It’s not too often that people can say they went back to their ancestral hometown in Europe to celebrate a feast that has been ongoing for 424 years. Tucked away in the Aurunci Mountains southeast of Rome lies Lenola—a small Italian village with a deep history, a resilient spirit, and a tradition that has bound generations together across continents.

Every September 15th, Lenolese descendants from across the globe gather to honor the Feast of La Madonna del Colle, a devotion born from a miraculous event in 1602. From emotional street processions and lively music in the piazza to the breathtaking fireworks display lighting up the Basilica facade, the feast is more than a religious celebration—it is a powerful homecoming.

In this post, I share my personal journey back to my family's roots, the unforgettable moments at local spots like Osteria La Sevici and Ai Pozzi, and why it's time for the younger generation to keep these sacred traditions alive both in Italy and back home in the States.

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It’s not too often that people can say they went back to their ancestral hometown in Europe to celebrate a feast that has been ongoing for 424 years. Speaking with respect to Italy, not many of those towns even exist and if they do, the feasts went by the wayside many years ago for one reason or another. 

My grandfather, Armand and several great-grandparents were born in a small village called Lenola. For those Italian aficionados and those who know geography, it is nestled in Aurunci Mountains of the “Ciociaria” area, which is southeast of Rome. You may also recall the 1960 Sophia Loren movie Two Women, which took place in this area. Lenola is not far from the historic and famous Benedictine Monastery of Monte Cassino, which was heavily bombed and destroyed by Allied Forces during World War II. In fact, the entire area - including Lenola - was bombed during the war.

Today, decendents from Lenola live all around the world and all over the United States. When they first arrived in the U.S., many settled in and around New York City, including Staten Island. They branched out to the areas of Farmington, CT; Bernardsville, NJ (where I was born and raised); and North Plainfield, NJ. Others migrated west to work in the mines of western Pennsylvania and Ohio. 

Predicate for the Feast 

In 1602, a young man named Gabriele Mattei (side note: my maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Mattei), had plotted a murder in Lenola. The reason for this was that on September 14 of that year, there was a Catholic celebration for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Gabriele and his friends were being disruptive and were scolded by an older gentleman. Humiliated, the young men planned to kill this man and Gabriele was to carry out the murder. That night, Gabriele was nervous and irritable. He started to play the guitar to calm himself, but became more irritable and threw the guitar to the ground. His vulnerability invoked the Devil. Terrified, Gabriele made the sign of the cross and asked for Mary, the Mother of God’s help. Mary appeared to Gabriele and told him to repent. She also instructed him to climb the hill where he would find an image. Finally, she instructed him to build a church on the spot where he found the image. It is believed that the image is from the third century when Christians in this area were practicing their faith in secret for fear of the Roman persecutions at the time.

In the early hours of September 15, Gabriele and his friends went up the hill and started to cut down bushes and dig through the area. They found the image of Mary painted on a cave wall with blood dripping from her lip. As a result of this, the local bishop gave his approval of the image. In addition, Gabriele and his friends went throughout Europe to spread the news of what occurred and raised money to build the church. The church, which is now a basilica, was dedicated on September 8, 1610. The image that was found by Gabriele remains above the altar of the Basilica Santuario della Madonna del Colle. 

Unfortunately and ironically, at the age of 77, Gabriele Mattei was stabbed to death at the entrance to the church in 1656. In recent years, the Catholic Church declared Gabriele a “Servant of God,” which is two steps away from being cannonized as a saint. You can learn more about this story here. 

The Feast

Each year on September 15, in remembrance and honor of the day when Gabriele Mattei found the image of Mary, the town of Lenola hosts a feast. People from within Lenola, the surrounding area, and Lenolese from around the world come together to celebrate. 

Festivities actually begin on September 5, when pilgrims from the surrounding towns celebrate “Calo del Quadro.” This event is when the Virgin Mary is displayed at the gates of the town and people from the neighboring towns come to visit. In the days following and leading up to September 15, there is typically evening music at the piazza and religious devotional events. 

On the actual feast day of September 15, mass is celebrated at 9:00am. At 10:30am, the statue of the patron saint of Lenola, Saint John the Baptist, is carried from the parish church (Santa Maria Maggiore) through the streets of Lenola and to the Basilica. At 11:00am, there is the high mass of the Feast at the Basilica, followed by the procession of the statue of La Madonna del Colle throughout the streets of Lenola. (The statue was originally funded by immigrants from Lenola to the United States in 1902 for the 300th anniversary of the Feast.) At the end of the procession, the statue is placed in the parish church for the day. At 7:00pm, the statue is processed back to the Basilica. The statue’s arrival awaits hundreds of people in and around the courtyard. Before the statue is processed back into the basilica, there is an amazing fireworks display with fireworks going up the facade of the church and to the top of the bell tower. All the while, the people are clapping while cheering “Eviva Maria!” 

Nearby the church and after the fireworks display is typically a significant musical event on a large stage. This year, “Beatlestory", which is a Beatles tribute band performed.  There is also food, candy, rides, games and retail items for sale. The festivities go on until the very early hours of the morning. 

AOTA Experience

The 2025 feast was my second time there. The first time I went was in 2007. Last year I went after a beautiful trip to Puglia with my father’s tour company (fratelliandcompany.com). 

Once we got to Lenola, we stayed at a great B&B called DiVino, which is next door to the Basilica and right in the center of the festivities. DiVino was also convenient as it is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As you walk out of DiVino, there is a fence that opens up to the valley. In the distance, you can see the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the smoke topped mountains on a crisp fall morning. 

DiVino is within walking distance to a few other restaurants, gelato, a park and the center of Lenola, which is Piazza Cavour. Piazza Cavour has a fountain in the center with some shops, restaurants and cafés around. 

On the day of the feast, which was a warm day, I went to the 11:00am mass with my dad and cousin. We then walked the entire procession as they passed by the vantage points in the village, as well as some of the other churches. As the statue of La Madonna del Colle passed other churches, the bells rang. Following the procession, we ate and drank some local wine at Osteria La Sevici, which is in the piazza. (By the way, the food here is all homemade and outstanding!) We then passed the time walking around until the evening procession began. 

As an aside, a few years ago when I was in Italy for my cousin’s wedding, my dad and I went to Osteria La Sevici for lunch. I entered into a raffle and won! What did I win? Homemade cookies and a very large bottle of grappa. We saved the bottle for my anticipation of attending last year’s feast. During the music on the eve of the feast, we poured for whoever wanted some in the piazza. As it was a very large bottle, there was some leftover grappa. Read on for more details on this.

We did it all - mass, procession, eating, drinking, another procession, fireworks and music. It was truly an amazing experience, but one that also hits home as this is the exact feast that my grandfather, great-grandparents and ancestors celebrated.

On one of the days close to the feast, a local and beautiful restaurant owned by my dad’s good friend, Salvatore, hosts an immigrant dinner. The restaurant is Ai Pozzi (@aipozzidilenola) and it is a great venue for dinner, weddings and other events. The place is truly magnificent and I encourage you to check out their Facebook and Instagram pages for the amazing pictures. You will see beautiful olive and cypress trees, an amazing pool and the landscape and decoration of the restaurant is breathtaking. People from around Italy go here to have their weddings. 

The immigrant dinner is for all those who have come back from around the world for the feast in a given year. In addition to the United States, Lenolese have descendants all over the world including throughout Europe, Argentina, Venezuela and Australia. In fact, I met “paisani” who made the trip from Australia last year. They are very nice and we are connected via Facebook.

At dinner, there are many, many courses. The cuisine is mostly local recipes that we Lenolese grew up with, such as snails! Presentations and speeches are made and Salvatore - who is not only an extraordinary restaurant owner, but has an amazing voice - sings beautiful Italian and Lenolese songs. There is also a cake with a beautiful depiction of the icon of La Madonna del Colle served. In addition, my grappa bottle found its way to Ai Pozzi, where we poured and finished it off.

AOTA Takeaway

The Feast of La Madonna del Colle is like no other and is truly one where current inhabitants and descendants of Lenola return as a sort of reunion and opportunity to re-connect. 

One point of criticism is that the feast food is just not what I expected. I can’t speak for 2026, but in 2025 the cuisine was pretty much hamburgers, hot dogs, a barbecue truck and lots of gummy candy for some reason. If I had to offer some advice, I would just say to go with the Italian food. I get it. You are probably interested in “Americanizing” your feast to some extent. However, I feel like if you just went with pizza, sausage and pepper sandwiches, local dishes, etc., the attendees (including those who live there) will love it. Yet, the restaurant alternatives cannot be beat! 

All that aside, it truly is a beautiful feast and one of the most iconic memories of the feast is at the end when the statue of the Madonna is facing the Basilica as the fireworks are going off. It is as if the statue is alive. 

There is so much to say about this feast as it is an experience with so much history. Even though it is a small community, Lenola has very historic significance in Italian-Catholic culture, as well as the more recent World War II history. I encourage you to check out their website and other references for this extraordinary history. However, the best way to learn about Lenola is to just go there. It is a mere 90 minute drive from Rome. It is also close to the beautiful coastline resort towns of Sperlonga and Terracina. 

Next year is a milestone anniversary of the feast - the 425th anniversary. I absolutely plan on going and hope that some of you reading this post will go as well. I would love it if some of my cousins, relatives and others could accompany us. Contact louis@fratelliandcompany.com for more information. Also, message me if you want to learn more about my experience at the Feast of La Madonna del Colle. 

Congratulations to the people of Lenola and the entire Lenolese Community for keeping this feast going and for the success of over 400 years! You all work hard and do a fantastic job of organizing this beautiful and emotion-filled feast each and every year. 

Eviva Maria e Buona Festa!

Afterthought

In the past and as I was growing up, there were periodic events for descendants of people from Lenola in the United States. Dignitaries would visit and there would typically be large dinner receptions and masses in both New Jersey and Connecticut. Unfortunately, as people get older or pass on, this has gone by the wayside and has not happened in a number of years. I think it is incumbent on the younger generation (mine) to re-kindle this tradition.

As I look on to feasts that derived from small Italian towns, most notably Montefalcione. I see their successful continuation of the Saint Anthony Feast in Boston and I can only think of how a similar (in size) village of Lenola can have somewhat of a presence in the United States. If you are reading this and are interested, please reach out to me so we can have a discussion and I will do my best to reach out to others to get something going!