Sister City check-in

Charlottesville is trying hard not to lose touch with its relatives, but with three official “sister cities,” that can sometimes be a tough job. For those not completely sibling-savvy, Charlottesville has three “sisters” through the Sister Cities International program, a “nonprofit citizen diplomacy network” that links cities globally.
    Our oldest relationship is with the Italian city of Poggio a Caiano, a small Tuscan locale outside Florence. The connection dates back to the days of Jefferson (around here, what doesn’t?). Philip Mazzei met Jefferson when he came to America from Poggio and settled on land near Monticello. The two became fast friends, advising each other on everything from horticulture to politics. Poggio a Caiano is a festive place right now: Until mid-July the city will celebrate “Poggio in Vetrina” with music and dancing, as well as late-night shopping; a larger-scale arts festival in Poggio’s province of Prato, “Festival delle Colline,” also takes place this summer.
    Besançon, France, is another European sib. In September 2004, the mayor of Besançon and then-City Councilor Blake Caravati signed a “Proclamation of Friendship” with the goal of broadening exchanges “to include economic, cultural, educational and university partners in our two cities.” The document listed several reasons for the partnership—prominent among them, oddly, were the supposed similarities between Besançon native Victor Hugo and—who else?—Thomas Jefferson.
    Pleven, Bulgaria, is the third of our Sister Cities, connected to Charlottesville through Bulgaria’s Foundation for Local Government Reform, whose “Technical Twinning/City Links” program encourages Bulgarian municipalities to partner with American cities to receive help developing city government. In 2003 Charlottesville City Manager Gary O’Connell signed an agreement with the city administration of Pleven, cementing the partnership.
    So don’t put your Independence Day fireworks away just yet: According to the document, Charlottesville now marks August 4 as the Anniversary of Pleven. And get this: Recently, 30 interns from Pleven arrived in Charlottesville’s City Hall to learn about U.S. economic development programs. Well, it looks like at least one American city can play nicely with its overseas relatives.