The ADI traces its roots in the "Italian Pentecostal revival" led by
Louis Francescon among Italian immigrants in
Chicago in 1907, that led to the formation of the
Christian Congregation. From Chicago, pioneers like Francescon, Giacomo Lombardi, Pietro Ottolini, Lucia Menna, Umberto Gazzari, and Louis Terragnoli went back to Italy in order to spread the Pentecostal gospel and establish Pentecostal churches. During the
Fascist regime, a letter issued by
Guido Buffarini Guidi, undersecretary of the Interior, provided grounds to shut all Pentecostal congregations in Italy. After the
fall of Fascism, it was still difficult for Pentecostals to practice their faith and religious freedom, due to legal and social obstacles. Thus, several Pentecostal congregations sought a purely nominal affiliation with the
Assemblies of God USA. the agreement became law in 1988. According to CESNUR, a think tank, the ADI is the single largest Protestant denomination in Italy. As of 2013, it counts 1,028 congregations, 150,000 members and 590 pastors. ==See also==