Mayor of Greenwich's Italian Sister City Visits Town

Hundreds of people visit Greenwich Town Hall every day.

But it’s not every day that the mayor from an Italian village drops by.

First Selectman Peter Tesei spent part of Monday with Dr. Pietro G. Mariani, the mayor of Morra De Sanctis. Morra De Sanctis is one of two sister cities in Italy that Greenwich has forged a continued relationship.

Mariani came to Greenwich to spend time with the descendants of his city who celebrated the Feast of St. Roch with their annual festival in the Chickahominy neighborhood of Greenwich. Back in the 1860s, residents of Morra De Sanctis and Rose, Calabria immigrated to Greenwich to escape the Italian Depression.

Those immigrants settled in Chickahominy it was there that they established the Church of St. Roch. For decades, parishioners of St. Roch celebrate their heritage with the festival that culminates with a parade with the statue of St. Roch.

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After participating in the parade last Sunday, members of the St. Rocco Society hosted a dinner dance at the Villa Barone Manor in Yonkers, NY where they honored Mariani, and his cousin, Man of the Year 2015 Angelo Mariani, and Antonetta Di Stefano.

With his cousin Salvatore DiPietro, president of the St. Rocco Society, acting as his interpreter, Mayor Mariani said he enjoyed his stay in Greenwich and tour of Greenwich Town Hall.

Tesei said that not only did he share the same first name as his Italian counterpart, they also share the same birthday — March 5.