SEVEN HILLS, Ohio -- Exactly 4,658 miles separate Seven Hills and the Italian municipality of Coreno Ausonio.
That great divide is about to shrink, with Seven Hills Mayor Anthony D. Biasiotta recently proposing a sister city partnership.
The selection of the community located roughly halfway between Rome and Naples isn’t by accident.
“That’s the hometown of my grandfather Luigi, who would say it was very beautiful and known for the marble,” Biasiotta said.
“It’s a place where you know everybody’s treated like family whether you are or aren’t.”
That last sentiment rings true, with Coreno Ausonio Mayor Simone Costanzo not only agreeing to the invitation, but planning a stateside visit this summer.
“On behalf of Coreno Ausonio, I sincerely thank Mayor Tony Biasiotta and the city of Seven Hills for choosing to become our sister city.
“This bond is made even more meaningful knowing that Mayor Biasiotta has roots in our beloved village. We look forward to visiting and celebrating this special and historic occasion together.”
Both city leaders have been in communication about such a bond going back to when Biasiotta was first elected mayor in 2019.
Apparently, the grapevine from Northeast Ohio reaches Central Italy.
“There’s a large population of Coreno Italians here in Northern Ohio,” Biasiotta said.
“They basically talked to the people in Coreno and said, ‘Luigi’s grandson became mayor of one of our local cities.’ They were so excited about it.”
That excitement now extends to Costanzo’s upcoming visit, which Biasiotta said he’s currently planning.
Next up for the Biasiotta will be a visit to Italy -- his first -- which he stressed will be on his own dime.
“What I’m really hoping is this becomes an annual thing and council members bring forth cities from their ancestry places, or places that they may have a connection with,” he said.
“It’s just a cultural exchange, but it’s good to take a global view.
“One thing on my newsletters is, ‘Think global, act local.’ But this is an instance where we can think global and act global in a meaningful way.”
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