The Province of Treviso, Italy will become Sarasota’s sixth Sister City when the official delegation from Treviso arrives on Saturday, February 17 to kick-off a full week of events and discussions with Sarasota cultural and educational institutions, government agencies and businesses.
Treviso is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso, one of 95 municipalities in the province. The province is replete with the amenities of the 21st century, situated within beautifully preserved renaissance settings just northwest of Venice and the Adriatic. It is noted for cultural, historical, gastronomical, manufacturing, agricultural, and ecological highlights and being the home of the original Asolo Theatre.
The key event during the week will be the Gala Reception and official ceremony at the Historic Asolo Theatre at the John & Mabel Ringling Museum Visitors Center beginning at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, February 20. Sarasota Mayor Fredd Atkins and Province of Treviso President Leonardo Muraro will sign the documents that will make the Province of Treviso Sarasota’s sixth Sister City to begin the Ringling’s Festival dell’Arte Italiana.
The new Sarasota Sister City partnership with the Province of Treviso is sponsored by the Gulf Coast Italian Culture Society. The signing will culminate a six year “courtship” between the Treviso and Sarasota designed to ensure a long-time, productive relationship for the future, Sarasota Sister Cities Association President Bill Wallace noted.
Visiting Province President Muraro during his visit will be introduced to Sarasota and focus on interests of Strategic Planning, Highway Planning & Maintenance, Administrative Effectiveness, and International Relations.
He will be accompanied by five provincial council members including:
· Franco Conte with interests in Urban Planning, and Program Implementation;
· Ubaldo Fanton with interests Environmental Policy, Ecology, Land Use, Geology, Coordination of the Cerletti College of Oenology Sant’Artemio Project;
· Carla Puppinato with interests in Educational Planning and Evaluation;
· Alessio De Mitri; Council member
· Marco Scolese ;Council member
Others accompanying the official delegation are Giuliana Meneghetti, Province Chef of Protocol; Marinella Fagaraz, Chef and proprietor of Casa Coste Restaurant in Treviso, and Domenico Longo, Chef of Casa Coste Restaurant.
In addition to the gala reception, ceremony and dinner at the Historic Asolo Theatre, the John & Mable Museum have created seven additional Festival dell’Arte Italiana public productions at the Historic Asolo Theatre for Treviso Week.
Many other events and culinary treats are open to the public, most with reservations in advance required. Details on each event and reservation or ticket requirements can be viewed on the Sarasota Sister Cities web site www.sarasotasistercities.org
The new relationship is expected to result in enhancing Treviso’s “Marca Nobilissima” marketing campaign which includes bringing the foods and wines of Treviso here to begin a new business relationship. Also anticipated are “exchanges” with Treviso’s cultural society (music, art, drama, and dance); its civic society (boy and girl scouts, service clubs); its sports teams and its educational institutions. The province is an agricultural market and industrial center. Manufactures include machinery, chemicals, metal products, ceramics, jewelry and construction materials.
Treviso is a bustling, prosperous capital of Treviso Province and center in the northern Veneto. It seems to have changed little from its early days as a medieval market town and staunch ally to Venice. Much of the city had to be rebuilt after severe World War II damage, but it was done well. Treviso remains picturesque, with canals, old houses, narrow winding streets, and fortifications of the 16th and 17th cent. Of special note are the 16th century cathedral and the municipal museum, whose rich holdings include paintings by Paris Bordone, born (1500) in Treviso.
Sister Cites initiatives began in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people-to -people program under the National League of Cities as a citizen diplomacy outreach. He envisaged persons and organizations in individual U.S. cities interacting on a one-to-one basis with their peers in foreign cities and nations, believing that such personal relationships would lessen the chance of future world conflicts.
The rapidly growing program became the non-profit Sister Cities International in 1967. Even before that, in 1963, Sarasota residents had already established the Sarasota Sister Cities Association and formed a relationship with Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, now in emeritus status. Since then, official relationships have been forged with Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Perpignan, France; Vladimir, Russia; Tel Mond, Israel; and Dunfermline, Scotland. In addition, Sarasota has completed initial agreements with Siming District, Xiamen, China to become the first Asian Sister City.
The official mission of Sarasota Sister Cities Association, Inc. (SSCA) is to foster international relationships between Sarasota and cities that have similar interests by creating exchanges in areas of culture, education, tourism, business and government. SSCA's objective is to develop respect, understanding and cooperation through citizen diplomacy, while working outside the realm of government, but with its support, to facilitate common goals.
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