L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2 2023 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano S ister-city friend- ships come with economic, artistic and cross-cultural benefits, but even more than that, they offer meaningful personal relation- ships and ongoing friend- ships. The idea of creating global understanding person- to-person was a driving force b e h i n d P r e s i d e n t D w i g h t Eisenhower's creation of the national sister cities program in 1956. For five days in October, a 16-person delegation from Perugia (including spouses and family members) trav- eled to Seattle to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Seat- tle-Perugia Sister City Association (SPSCA). The group from Perugia repre- sented commerce, tourism, sports, education and the arts, and included Clara Pas- torelli, head of sports and c o m m e r c e f o r t h e c i t y o f Perugia; Mario Valentini, for- m e r m a y o r o f t h e c i t y o f Perugia; ceramic artist and b u s i n e s s o w n e r G i o r g i o Moretti; Riccardo Spadolini, entrepreneur and longtime sister city friend; Katia Per- ruccio, president of the Lion's Club of Perugia; author and cooking instructor Marialucia Luongo; and Olimpia Bar- t o l u c c i , d i r e c t o r o f t h e Umbria Library System. F i v e j a m - p a c k e d d a y s awaited the delegates when they stepped off the plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. There were dinners and luncheons, and visits to Seattle's Piazza Perugia and Casa Italiana. Members of the delegation toured the cof- f e e - r o a s t i n g o p e r a t i o n a t Caffé Umbria, visited the Amazon Spheres, traveled a c r o s s P u g e t S o u n d o n a ferry, and took a quick spin around Costco. A meeting with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell at City Hall was a highlight of the visit. On Oct. 10, a gala dinner with more than 100 in atten- dance was held at the historic Women's University Club in downtown Seattle. The pro- g r a m , e m c e e d b y f o r m e r S P S C A p r e s i d e n t M i k e James, included remarks by Mario Valentini and Clara Pastorelli, as well as by cur- rent SPSCA president Ger- man Rodriguez, honorary consul of Italy in Seattle Elis- abetta Valentini (daughter of Mario) and one of SPSCA's founding members, Saleh Joudeh. To mark the occasion, the s i s t e r - c i t y o r g a n i z a t i o n arranged for limited-edition ceramic plates to be fired and hand-painted by L'Antica Deruta. Made in Italy, the p l a t e s c a r r y a d i s t i n c t l y Northwest design: an image o f t w o b r i g h t l y c o l o r e d salmon circling each other, representing the cycle of life. The design was created by internationally renowned artist Marvin Oliver, a mem- ber of the Quinault and Isle- ta-Pueblo Tribes. Oliver, who died in 2019, designed the Sister Orca fountain in Peru- gia. Although two very differ- ent cities, the bond between Seattle and Perugia has been s t r o n g f o r t h r e e d e c a d e s . Perugia is an ancient town with Etruscan roots; Seattle is not quite 175 years old. Landlocked Perugia, home to about 165,000 residents, is an agricultural trade center known for jazz, chocolate and two universities. Seattle is a major seaport, biomedical center and tech hub with a regional population of more than 4 million. Three individuals in Seat- tle were key in pursuing the s i s t e r - c i t y r e l a t i o n s h i p . Retired restaurateur Saleh Joudeh was a medical stu- d e n t a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Perugia in the mid-1960s. He later made his way to Seattle and started a popular restau- rant called Saleh al Lago, whose menu paid tribute to dishes he remembered from his stay in Perugia. D r . H a n s L e h m a n , a native of Germany, was also a medical student at the Uni- versity of Perugia, but 50 years before Joudeh. During his days in Perugia, Lehman became friends with the Vic- arelli-Saluzzo family. Years later, when he returned to Italy, he contacted Giuseppe Vicarelli-Saluzzo to renew the friendship. Eventually, their discussions turned to the idea of creating a sister- city friendship. L a s t l y , t h e r e w a s A r t M a z z o l a , a c h a r i s m a t i c businessman who valued his Italian-American heritage and was active in numerous cultural and nonprofit orga- nizations. Mazzola's many community contacts were instrumental in getting the sister city agreement off the ground. These individuals and oth- ers met at Saleh al Lago to discuss creating a sister city relationship with Perugia. Seattle Mayor Norm Rice approved the idea in Septem- b e r 1 9 9 1 , a n d a P a c t o f F r i e n d s h i p w a s o f f i c i a l l y signed by Mayor Rice and Perugia Mayor Mario Valen- tini in 1993. There were many individ- uals who kept the friendship s t r o n g o v e r t h e y e a r s . I n S e a t t l e , e a r l y s u p p o r t e r s included Dan Borracchini, Louise Clauss, Louis DeLau- r e n t i , D o n n a a n d M i k e James, and Rosanne Royer. In Perugia, early proponents of the sister-city friendship included Elisabetta Valentini, B e p i V i c a r e l l i , N o r m a Raggetti, Riccardo Spadolini, Filippo and Rossella Vasta, and Rita Castigli. Daniela Borghesi, former director of the Office of International Relations, and her successor, Lauretta Vagnetti, worked tirelessly in Perugia as did their counterpart in Seattle, the Office of International Relations. Residents from both cities have profited from the rela- tionship over the past three decades. The cities joined h a n d s t o c r e a t e l a n g u a g e scholarships, art and cultural exchanges, a weeklong Ital- ian film festival in Seattle (Cinema Italian Style), a cal- endar, and a cookbook. Ital- ian artists exhibited their work at Seattle City Hall in 2011, while artists from both countries participated in an art exhibit on migration in Perugia's Palazzo della Penna last fall. With such a heartfelt 30th anniversary celebration still resounding among those who participated, it's likely the next 10 years will bring even m o r e c u l t u r a l e v e n t s a n d diverse activities, as well as a d e e p e n i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p between two cities located an ocean apart. Perugia delegation celebrates 30 years of friendship in Seattle RITA CIPALLA SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell warmly welcomed Perugia city official Clara Pastorelli during a meeting at Seattle City Hall in October (Photo: City of Seattle) and, bottom left, Perugia mayor Mario Valentini (Photo: SPSCA).

• Cover