Domenico D’Amico, Silvio D’Amico’s Uncle was on the promotional committee for the statutory bodies of the Abruzzan Association (Associazione Abbruzzese), which was originated by Silvio Spaventa[1] and was founded in 1886; Spaventa, who was born at Bomba, was a Deputy of the historic Right, a great statesman and President of the Association until his death.
At the General Assembly of 24th April 1887, with the renewal of his statutory duties, Domenico D’Amico was elected as Counsellor of the Association together with Francesco Cappelli, Francesco Filomusi Guelfi, Nicola Giorgi, Luigi Mancini, Luciano Navarra, Vittorio Paolini, Francesco Roselli, Andrea Santori, and Desio and Luigi Tancredi.

The Association had 52 statutes and there were about 200 members, all of whom acted out of affection for the far away districts of Abruzzo. They declared with finality the unity of brotherly meetings between all Abruzzans living even temporarily in Rome. They developed a relationship between Abruzzo and the Capital covering economic, social and moral aspects which always had as its heart the betterment of the working class by means of mutual help, the institution of a Social Club (Casa Sociale) and by organising schools. The Association took care to send a circular containing these objectives to all the Mayors, the Presidents of Charitable Organisations, Agrarian Consortiums etc. in Abruzzo, to involve them and to inform them and to set up a collaborative relationship with them. At the meeting of 15th May 1887, the President, Silvio Spaventa, insisted on affirming that the proposed aims should be reached by all possible and suitable means, so that the Association might have the desired consistency and prestige. The President insisted that they should work to determine how many Abruzzans were living in Rome, what jobs they were doing, what opportunities they had, where they were living and how many died each year. It was intended that this survey should be carried out especially amongst the workers and the peasants of the Roman countryside, so that the Abruzzan colony in Rome, Capital of Italy and its financial and economic centre, together with all Abruzzo, might draw greater advantages from it, in as much as it offers powers of intelligence and strength of arms for their uninterrupted and ever increasing industriousness.

In 1887 Domenico D’Amico was re-elected as counsellor and his wife, Concetta, became a member of the Ladies’ Committee, presided over by Sofia Spaventa; the ladies gave a social flag (or banner) to the Association on 31st March 1889, designed by Francesco Paolo Michetti, bearing the emblems of the Provinces of l’Aquila, Chieti and Teramo. Spaventa declared that this flag visibly demonstrated the Association’s honour and accomplishments, stressing that “to say ‘flag’ is the same as saying the work and heart of a woman, because where honour is to be kindled and delivered, woman is the only teacher”. Amongst the initiatives undertaken by the Association we should remember their  interventions in favour of populations struck by

Domenico D’Amico worked with several important Abruzzan people belonging to the Association, attracted by their glamour and garnering experiences. Amongst these he must certainly have been struck by the great personality of the President, Silvio Spaventa, with whom he collaborated as a Counsellor. He carried out his activities fired by the values and programmes referred to by the Association, which were always kept in mind by the President.  It is worth noting a passage from the letter that the President wrote to Professor Francesco Filomusi Guelfi on 31st March 1889, on the occasion of the flag being given to the Association, which he had been unable to attend due to ill health: “Italian, above all in my mind and because of my education, I am very proud to hold a quiet place in my heart, where I only feel Abruzzan. It is not an immeasurable pride, because it only comes from the idea of a certain modest quality of our race, for whom the height of the mountains in which they lived, prevented them from degenerating even under the most barbarous savagery.” He also noted that, “Each Abruzzan says the same thing within himself.” Then he added, “Now the conscience of our own blood and of our native place is a moral force, that ought to be preserved even within the breast of our great Country, that we have conquered.” The union created by affection for his own region and his own Commune, Spaventa added, “carried even  outside the confines of our territory, to