The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About110122-03.4IrItlu. à,+ "ffi"-*#.#lt w tu Locand September 23, 2022 Danville Town Council Town of Danville 510 La Gonda Way Danville, CA94526 Mayor Arnerich and Members of the Council: We are honored to sponsor the Town's participation in a Friendship City Program with the municipal government of the island of Ischia,Italy (pronounced "EESS-kya", iskja). At its regular meeting on November 8,2017, the Danville Town Council adopted a Friendship City Policy (Resolution No. 91-2017). The Friendship City Policy sets out four criteria for considering a Friendship City partnership. In this letter We address how the proposed Friendship City partnership with Ischia will satisfy each criterion. 1. Attribute Match: Does the community have similarities to Danville's size, population, cultural and economic issues, vision, mission, or goals? Danville and Ischia are similar in many respects. The population of the island of Ischia approximately 62,000 residents while Danville is approx. 45,000. Danville is l8 sq. miles and Ischia 17.9 sq. miles. Both towns seek to balance quality of life concerns with thriving business communities. Both are municipal subdivisions of democratic nations. Ischia is also well known for its tourism and high quality of life standards. Ischia has thermal water and thermal gardens used since ancient times. Its volcanic nature makes Ischia one of the largest spas in Europe. Ischia's thermal waters are alkaline. Strabo, Greek historian and geographer, mentions the island of Ischia and the virtues of its thermal springs in his monumental geographical work. The island of Ischia is home to the eponymous 'Denominazione di origine controllata' (DOC) wine region that produces both red and white wines though white wines account for nearly 80% of the island's wine production (440 acres). The heart of this proposed Friendship City program is cultural. The island is home to the Ischia Film Festival, an international cinema competition celebrated in June or July, dedicated to all the works that have promoted the value of the local territory. Our Friendship City proposal is to hold a International ltalian-American Arts, Food and Wine Festival in each respective community as a symbol of our international relationship and common goals. The festival will put Danville and Ischia on the international map. 2. Connection Match: Does the community have existing connections or ties with the community's heritage or culture? Has the proposed Friendship City expressed an initial interest in a partnership with Danville? Locanda Family Properties GrouP 175 E. Prospect Ave., Danville, cA94526 | 1250 Greenbrook Drive, Danville, cA94526 www. I o c and ar e s t aur ant s. c om Ischai and Danville have a shared value in celebrating cultural and historical events in their communities including literature, arts and the preservation of significant historical buildings and structures. Ischia is home to several notable authors, poets and fîlm making. In May 1948 W. H' Auden wrote his poem "In Praise of Limestone" here, the first poem he wrote in ltaly. German composer Hans Werner Henze lived on the island from 1953 to 1956 and wrote his Quattro Poemi (1955) there. In 1949, British classical composer William Walton settled in Ischia. The Italian politician Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the most important figures of Italian unification, stayed on the island for healing himself from a serious injury and finding relief in the peaceful area of Casamicciola Terme (at the Manzi Hotel)' The island is noted for dozens of major films such as The American swashbuckler film The Crimson Pirate (1952) was filmed on and around the island during the summer of 1951, Avanti! (1972), starring Jack Lemon and Juliet Mills, part of Cleopatra (1963), starring Elizabeth Taylor, Ischia Ponte stood in for "Mongibello" in the Hollywood film of The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999),the American film And While We Were Herc (2012), starring Kate Bosworth, and Castello Aragonese was used as the'Riva's Fortified Fortress' island in Men in Black: International (2019) to name a few. The surrounding waters including gulfs of Gaeta, Naples andPozzuoli are both rich and healthy, providing a habitat for 7 species of whales and dolphins including gigantic fin and sperm whales. Ischia is very enthusiastic about entering into a Friendship City partnership with Danville. Ischia Mayor Vincenzo Ferrandino, Deputy Mayor Luigi Di Vaia, The Name 'olschia" is thought to be a derivative of the term "insula majot" ("island par excellence" in English). Other Town Twinning's with Ischia: United States Los Angeles, USA (2006) United States Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (2006) 3. Resource Availability: Is there suffïcient volunteer support among the Danville-based sponsoring organization or the Town Council to coordinate the activities and engagements needed to maintain a sustainable partnership with Danville? The Locanda Family properties Group: We strive to not only be a generous member of our community but to also provide a rewarding work environment for our team, our extended family Family Properties in San Francisco Bay Area: Locanda Ravello - Danville; Locanado Amalfi - Pleasanton; Locanda Positanto - Lafayette, Sorento - Campbell; and Locanda Wine Bar - Livermore. Family Properties in ltaly: Villa Donna Carmel Penthouse Hotel Capri, Italy and Hotel Terme Iscia, Italy Locanda Family Properties GrouP 175 E. Prospect Ave., Danville, cA94526 | 1250 Greenbrook Drive, Danville, cA94526 www. I o c and ar e s t aur an t s. c o m Yes, the Locanda Family Properties Group is fully capable of coordinating "Italian Food, Arts & Wine Fair," the annual international festival that will be at the heart of the Friendship City partnership between Danville and Ischia. The Town can have confidence in the Locanda's stability and its capacity to carry out its sponsorship responsibilities' 4. Ethical Match: Does the community strive to, and have a history of, being a stable and ethical local government? Italy has a strong democratic tradition and a recent history of stable government at all levels. The Government of Italy is in the form of a democratic republic, and was established by a constitution in 1948. It consists of legislative, executive, and judicial subdivisions, as well as a Head of State, or President. Article I of the Italian Constitution states: Italy is a democratic Republic founded on labor. Sovereignty belongs to the people and is exercised by the people in the forms and within the limits of the Constitution. By stating that Italy is a democratic republic, the article solemnly declares the results of the constitutional referendum which took place on 2 June 1946. The State is not a hereditary property of the ruling monarch, but it is instead a 'Res Publica', belonging to everyone. I know of nothing to suggest that the municipal government of Ischia falls below the generally high standards of local government in Italy. I personally know and have known Mayor Vincenzo Ferrandino for many years and admire his leadership in heading the City of Ischia in the right direction. C¡J*." Enzo Rosano, President, Resident of Danville Locanda Family Properties Group Italian Food, Arts & Wine Fair e-mail : Enzois@vahoo.co c. 650.45 5.2928 .¡-: " Jyl¡r¡cl c,i )yj¡is - Locanda Family Properties Group 175 E. Prospect Ave., Danville, CA94526 | 1250 Greenbrook Drive, Danville, C494526 www. I o c andar e s t aur ant s. c o m ¡ t