Launch of “Friends of the Pilgrim” … a new network of restaurateurs for the 2025 Jubilee
Around 32 million people are expected to come to Rome this year for the 2025 Jubilee. In a year packed with special events and opportunities for the city, a new project ‘Gli Amici del Pellegrino’ [Friends of the Pilgrim] has been launched, promoting sustainability and the attractions of the city and surrounding area, dedicated to the millions of pilgrims and tourists who will be visiting Rome during the Jubilee year of 2025. The innovative project is the result of a linkup between Confcommercio Roma, Pellegrini, and the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization, headed by the Pro-Prefect, Archbishop Rino Fisichella.
The launch was held on 13 February 2025, in one of the Palombini rooms in the Eur district of the Italian capital. Among the participants were Archbishop Fisichella, Monica Lucarelli, Convener for Productivity and Equal Opportunities of Rome City Council, Giuseppe Orsi, Managing Director of the Pellegrini Group and CEO of the Ernesto Pellegrini Onlus Foundation, and Sergio Paolantoni, President of Fipe Rome. Representing the restaurateurs present were Mauro Mozzetti, owner of the restaurant ‘Alfredo alla Scrofa’, and Andrea Fassi, of the Fassi ice cream company, acting as ambassadors of the project.
‘Gli Amici del Pellegrino’ is effectively a new hospitality scheme. A large network of public establishments, including restaurants, supermarkets, trattorias, pizzerias, bars, ice cream parlors, street food vendors, markets, food stalls in local markets and other providers of quality food have put in place special offers for diners, who can take advantage of the deals using the Welfare Pellegrini digital meal vouchers.
The service is already up and running in the establishments which have signed up to the project. "Rome welcomes with taste" is the slogan chosen for the initiative. But it doesn't end there … throughout the Holy Year, further initiatives will be announced, including gastronomic itineraries put in place for pilgrims by the hospitality sector in Rome. The aim is to allow pilgrims to try authentic local catering and give greater prominence to the participating establishments.
"This new collaboration with Confcommercio Roma and Welfare Pellegrini really is good news for all the pilgrims who will come to the city to experience this year of grace of the Jubilee,” said Archbishop Fisichella, Pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who is in charge of organizing the Holy Year.
He continued: “I am thinking in particular of the thousands of teenagers and young people who will very easily be able to access the discounts and meal vouchers provided in the welcome packs which will be distributed to them. I am also happy to note the enthusiasm of the many Roman restaurateurs, including bars, supermarkets, restaurants, street food vendors and local markets who have joined the
“Amici del Pellegrino” hospitality scheme, and who will offer special rates to all the pilgrims who come this year.”
Valentina Pellegrini, Vice President and Managing Director of Pellegrini, said: “Pellegrini is particularly proud to promote this important initiative, thanks to the agreement reached with the Dicastery for Evangelization and in collaboration with Fipe Confcommercio. It’s an agreement which will bring countless benefits not only to the pilgrims and tourists coming to Rome during the Jubilee who will, as a result of the scheme, be able to access good quality food at affordable prices. It is also good news for the local business owners and producers who will be able to promote their offerings and talents through the scheme. The constant commitment to sustainability and the ‘social’ vocation of our company have found a natural home in this program which very much expresses the values of our company. We are particularly pleased that all this is happening in 2025, the Jubilee Year, which is also the 60th anniversary of our company – Italy’s largest business group promoting the well-being of customers through the provision of business services."
Sergio Paolantoni, President of Fipe Roma said: "Food is much more than just a physical need: it is identity … meeting … sharing. The restaurant industry has always embodied these values and today they play a strategic role in making the Jubilee an opportunity for growth in our city. With "Gli Amici del Pellegrino", we are creating a network of venues ready to offer not only delicious food, but also the warmth of Italian hospitality and a commitment to sustainability. Sustainability is not just a word, it’s also a responsibility that we should all embrace. In times like this, it is essential that we combine quality and accessibility, innovation and respect for tradition, promotion of local products and attention to the needs of an increasingly diversified tourism market."
Groups of pilgrims arriving in Rome via organized tours, once they have been welcomed by their host parish, will receive digital meal vouchers in their welcome kits. Weekend packages (of 4 vouchers) and weekly packages (of 10 vouchers) are planned. The vouchers, worth €10 each, can be used at all participating businesses of the 'Gli Amici del Pellegrino' network and at the 85,000 Welfare Pellegrini partners.
In addition, Welfare Pellegrini Vouchers can be purchased directly online at the website https://giubileo2025.welfarepellegrini.it/ or via the official Jubilee website of the Dicastery, and from parishes and religious organizations.