SISTER CITY: Alpicella – Italy
Alpicella Club was founded in Alameda in 1941. Most of its active members currently live in Alameda.
A large percentage of the founding members were from Alpicella, a small town within Varazze jurisdiction.
Both cities are key in the history of our Club.
The whole Liguria Region (The italian north-west coast) is actually intimately connected with the Bay Area:
several communites of Italian immigrants (in Alameda, Oakland and San Francisco) are originally from Liguria.
We are happy to introduce this initiative to ASCA, a special thanks Mike Robles-Wong for his exhaustive introduction to the Committee Development Protocol.
The Club already put together a special Committee in charge of the project:
• Alessandro Bertoncello
• Bob Ratto
• Tony Corica
• John Gentilin
We are already in touch with the Varazze Committee, coordinated by the city councilor Ambra Buschiazzo:
• President: Priore Vallerga Lorenzo
• Vice President: Buschiazzo Mauro
• Secretary: Secci Gualtiero
• Councilor: Caviglia Antonio
In Varazze the project has already received the approval of the Mayor.
It is a shared intent of the Committees to promote cultural sharing, consolidate the historical aspects that connected the communities of Varazze & Alameda and activate Students Exchange Programs.
The Varazze and Alameda communities also share an intimate relationship with the sea and the port environment.
If we can summarize it with an equation it would be Bay : Alameda = Gulf : Varazze
Set aside the similarities, Ligurians and Californians live differently. And it’s not just about eating different food, or drinking shorter coffee. The mentality is different. The economy is different. Different legal, medical and educational systems. Priorities, superstitions, prejudices, tastes, interests, habits, and routines – are all different.
Encouraging cultural sharing is an activity that brings mutual benefits to both communities, understanding or experiencing the advantages / disadvantages that entails a different perspective.
The exchange may be for purposes of study, in the case of young students, summer work and language studying, for older students, or simply tourism, for anyone interested.
Varazze is located on the Italian Riviera. In the summer it offers a magnificent seaside location interesting for summer work or vacation. Alameda is a charming city strategically located in the Bay Area and offers a safe and friendly community to enjoy a perfect first American experience, only few steps away from the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
There are no social or political reasons that could hinder the relationship between the two cities.
Our collaboration will focus on achieving historical, artistic, cultural and educational goals to enrich both communities.
In the next pages a short presentation of both cities, the memorandum of understanding and our contacts.
A large percentage of the founding members were from Alpicella, a small town within Varazze jurisdiction.
Both cities are key in the history of our Club.
The whole Liguria Region (The italian north-west coast) is actually intimately connected with the Bay Area:
several communites of Italian immigrants (in Alameda, Oakland and San Francisco) are originally from Liguria.
We are happy to introduce this initiative to ASCA, a special thanks Mike Robles-Wong for his exhaustive introduction to the Committee Development Protocol.
The Club already put together a special Committee in charge of the project:
• Alessandro Bertoncello
• Bob Ratto
• Tony Corica
• John Gentilin
We are already in touch with the Varazze Committee, coordinated by the city councilor Ambra Buschiazzo:
• President: Priore Vallerga Lorenzo
• Vice President: Buschiazzo Mauro
• Secretary: Secci Gualtiero
• Councilor: Caviglia Antonio
In Varazze the project has already received the approval of the Mayor.
It is a shared intent of the Committees to promote cultural sharing, consolidate the historical aspects that connected the communities of Varazze & Alameda and activate Students Exchange Programs.
The Varazze and Alameda communities also share an intimate relationship with the sea and the port environment.
If we can summarize it with an equation it would be Bay : Alameda = Gulf : Varazze
Set aside the similarities, Ligurians and Californians live differently. And it’s not just about eating different food, or drinking shorter coffee. The mentality is different. The economy is different. Different legal, medical and educational systems. Priorities, superstitions, prejudices, tastes, interests, habits, and routines – are all different.
Encouraging cultural sharing is an activity that brings mutual benefits to both communities, understanding or experiencing the advantages / disadvantages that entails a different perspective.
The exchange may be for purposes of study, in the case of young students, summer work and language studying, for older students, or simply tourism, for anyone interested.
Varazze is located on the Italian Riviera. In the summer it offers a magnificent seaside location interesting for summer work or vacation. Alameda is a charming city strategically located in the Bay Area and offers a safe and friendly community to enjoy a perfect first American experience, only few steps away from the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
There are no social or political reasons that could hinder the relationship between the two cities.
Our collaboration will focus on achieving historical, artistic, cultural and educational goals to enrich both communities.
In the next pages a short presentation of both cities, the memorandum of understanding and our contacts.
