We all have a town in our heart that we promote with love, but today the province of Rome has new 'ambassadors' who will do it in network.
27 Town Ambassadors for 21 municipalities involved, these are the numbers of the Town Ambassadors network project that we created with the Rome Metropolitan Area.
Since last autumn we have toured over 35 villages starting from the smallest ones and then focusing on two areas: the Aniene Valley and the Lepini Mountains. We know the entire Monti Simbruini park and the Monti Lepini area inside out, searching for the ideal candidates for the role of Town Ambassador.
The mayors chose their Town Ambassadors following two different philosophies: people who had left their home village and gone abroad or people who from abroad chose to come, live and invest in our small villages. In any case, all of them meet two requirements: love the town and the desire to promote it and to pass on their experience in tourism to other residents.
In particular, foreigners who have come to invest and settle in the Aniene Valley have been attracted by art and nature and they all work in hospitality and tourism.
I have personally met and interviewed beautiful people from 11 different foreign countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Virgin Islands, France, Germany, Switzerland, UK and USA. With them we brainstormed on how to promote towns and the territory, and how to bring their friends to visit Italy (and in particular the countryside of Rome).
The municipalities that have joined the project are: ANTICOLI CORRADO mayor Francesco de Angelis. ARCINAZZO ROMANO Mayor Luca Marocchi. CANTERANO commissioner Vittoria Cerni, CICILIANO mayor Massimiliano Calore, CINETO ROMANO mayor Massimiliano Liani, GERANO mayor Danilo Felici, JENNE mayor Giorgio Pacchiarotti, LICENZA mayor Ilaria Passacantilli, MARANO EQUO mayor Franco Tozzi, PERCILE mayor Claudio Giustini, PISONIANO mayor Enzo Aureli, ROCCA SANTO STEFANO mayor Sandro Runieri, ROIATE mayor Antonio Proietti, ROVIANO mayor Mattia Folgori, SAMBUCI commissioner Laura Mattiucci, VALLEPIETRA mayor Flavio De Santis, CARPINETO ROMANO mayor Stefano Cacciotti, COLLEFERRO mayor Pierluigi Sanna, GAVIGNANO mayor Ivan Ferrari and MONTELANICO mayor Sandro Onorati.
Finally, on Friday 7 July in the splendid setting of Valentini Palace we awarded the new Town Ambassadors together with the deputy mayor of Rome Pierluigi Sanna: "We have witnessed a real cultural reunion with prominent personalities who love Rome countryside and value it in their countries of origin. For us, this project is essential to guarantee the continuity of our traditions and human principles which are the basis of civil coexistence".
Godmother of the project was the councilor Alessia Pieretti with whom we shared choices and overcame the difficulties that we encountered: "The Town Ambassadors will be engaged in a communication program on social media and will become 'mini influencers' of their village. Many of the Town Ambassadors have expressed the desire to do more also because over the years, looking at their towns with other lenses and having brought friends to stay for some time as tourists, they know what could make their village even more attractive. Actions that are often not onerous but that need stimuli and solicitations from the residents. From today we begin this second phase of the work”.
The meeting was attended by the Hon. Fabio Porta, elected in the South American constituency, who immediately established close ties with the Town Ambassadors of Brazil and Chile and the Hon. Christian Diego Di Sanzo, elected in the North American constituency, for all those coming from the USA and Canada.
The special guest of the day was the film producer Andre Iervolino, whom we had already awarded two years ago with the mayor of Cassino Enzo Salera. We handed him the official plate under the loving gaze of his father who showed all his joy and pride as a father, but also of cassino citizen.
In fact, no matter how great we get, how rich and powerful we manage to be, the true values will always be the love of our parents and the recognition of the town from which we started.
And it's nice when all this feeling appears in a ceremony. While Andrea was speaking, the hall was silent and only notes of love could be heard vibrating between him, his father and the mayor.
Among the new Town Ambassadors, a former senator from the Virgin Islands (part of the US territory) who has chosen to live in Cineto Romano. The youngest is 23 years old and is the Town Ambassador of Marano Equo and the oldest is Antonio Donsanti the Town Ambassador of Arcinazzo Romano. To see the full list and their stories, visit www.townambassador.org
And if someone loves his/her town in a particular way, don't hesitate to contact me and tell me the story.
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