Abstract

The article deals with communities of Peruvian Catholics living in two Italian cities, Perugia and Rome, and particularly with their devotion to the Lord of Miracles. The cult of Nuestro Señor de los Milagros is of Latin American origin, and has recently been introduced into Italy by Latino immigrants. We will provide an ethnographic description of this ritual and analyse the controversies that it raises between the official Catholic Church and the community of devotees, particularly with regard to the political activity taking place during the feast. Nevertheless, religious parades seem to help the migrants' integration into the host society and their recognition by Italian institutions.