Kenilworth Twinning Association members celebrate 10 years with Italian town

Members of the Kenilworth Twinning Association in Italy

The visit marked the anniversary of the 'Friendship Agreement' with the town of Roccalumera in Italy, which is often a precursor to a full twinning in the future.

The Kenilworth group were treated to a busy few days of activities, which included a visit to the beautiful Castello di Donnafugata and the towns of Punta Secca and Scicli near Ragusa, all of which are prime locations used in the filming of the long running BBC4 TV series 'Inspector Montalbano'.

Several members of the group also visited the hillside village of Savoca, near Roccalumera, famous as the setting of the famous 'Bar Vitelli' in 'The Godfather' film.

A presentation (in English) entitled the 'Roccalumera Experience´ was produced by a group of local young people working on a voluntary basis with the local council. They were congratulated on their hard work and dedication to their town by the Kenilworth group at a joint lunch later in the day.

The visit ended with a buffet and musical extravaganza performed by expert local musicians and dancers who even managed to get several KTA members on stage to join in some traditional Sicilian dancing.

The visit also included an exchange of gifts and speeches by the Kenilworth Twinning Association Chair Tony Jones, the President of the Roccalumera Twinning Group Andrea Vadalà, and the Mayor of Roccalumera Gaetano Argiroffi.

Tony said: “A special mention was given to Gino Bonarrigo, a resident of Kenilworth and Roccalumera, who was instrumental in forging this friendship link 10 years ago and who has worked tirelessly to foster relationships over the past years.”

The 10th anniversary of the friendship pact between Roccalumera and Kenilworth

On behalf of Roccalumera, the Deputy Mayor Miriam Asmundo presented Tony Jones with an illustrated book detailing 100 of Italy's most forward-thinking communities, one of which is Roccalumera.

Mayor Argiroffi and Tony Jones jointly agreed that: "Given the current state of politics within Europe ties such as ours reinforce the long-standing and deep friendship between the people of our two countries."