It was a gathering of politicians and residents like none other in Glen Cove City Hall on Tuesday, July 1 as Mayor Ralph V. Suozzi officiated over the welcome of Mayor Franco Di Cecilia of Sturno, Italy, along with family and staff, to its Sister City.

Following the Presentation of the Colors by the Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department, Congressman Peter King led the audience in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, Giuseppe Graziosi sang God Bless America, with the crowd joining in, and Michele Graziosi sang Inno di Mameli, the Italian national anthem, with more than just the Sturnese adding their voices; many Glen Cove Italian Americans knew the lyrics to the anthem of their ancestral homeland.

It was an evening of honor and tribute, of warmth and affection, of history and famiglia. Glen Cove and Sturno have a history that began with the immigration and settling of numerous Sturnese in our city, which took a leap forward 20 years ago when then Glen Cove Mayor Vincent "Jimmy" Suozzi and then Sturno Mayor Alberto Forgione named the cities "Sister Cities." Tuesday evening renewed the bond between the cities, in dedication to the two communities' commonalities and heritage.

Mayor Suozzi welcomed the visitors, stating he was "proud and glad to follow in the footsteps of my father" and to "further the cultural exchange between our cities and our nations." Introductions were made and translated by Honorary Consul Antonio Tufano, who served as translator for all the evening's speeches. On the Glen Cove front, Mayor Suozzi was joined by City Council members Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, Nicholas DiLeo, Sean Dwyer, Michael Famiglietti, Anthony Jimenez and Timothy Tenke; the Hon. Richard McCord and the Hon. Joseph McCann; Deputy Mayor Maureen Basdavanos and Chief of Staff K. Kelly Morris. Other American dignitaries and elected officials included Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, Presiding Officer of the Nassau County Legislature Diane Yatauro, New York State Assemblyman Charles Lavine, New York State Senator Carl Marcellino, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and U.S. Congressman Peter King.

Mayor Di Cecilia brought with him Deputy Mayor Dr. Rocco Moccia, City Council members Vito DiLeo and Michele Macina and the aforementioned Honorary Consul Antonio Tufano.

While protocol and mutual respect were the order of the evening, the celebration was not without humor, laughs and personal anecdotes.

County Executive Suozzi addressed the crowd in Italian, occasionally looking to Mr. Tufano for confirmation of pronunciation, then translated his own speech for the locals. He spoke of his visits to Sturno and remarked that while many of his memories are of summer concerts and walks in a beautiful city, those that stand out most in his mind are of "red wine, good food and the warmth of the people." The Sturnese who have relocated to America, Mr. Suozzi said, have retained that warmth and sense of hospitality. The county executive presented Mayor Di Cecilia with a bust of Theodore Roosevelt inscribed with a TR quote that "It is not the critic who counts...the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena."

Presiding Officer Yatauro, after wishing all "Buona sera," admitted that she was using a "cheat sheet" from her husband, whose name for the evening went from Bernie to Bernardino, and addressed the audience in phonetic Italian, welcoming the visitors on behalf of the Nassau County Legislature and presenting them with a certificate from the legislature.

Assemblyman Lavine remarked that, "Other than Peter King and myself, there are very few people here who do not come from Sturno." Presenting a certificate from the assembly, he said he knew it would find a "nice home in Sturno's City Hall." He added that, "So much of what is good about our neighborhood comes from your neighborhood."

Senator Marcellino remarked that he was not going to attempt to speak in Italian, because he has learned, "You don't compete with Tom Suozzi in the City of Glen Cove." The senator gave a brief civics lesson, explaining that New York State has two houses of legislature: the Assembly, known as the "lower" house, and the Senate, known as the "upper" house, and obviously, by the tenor of the evening, the Italian guests could see that the elected officials have a great time teasing each other. Speaking on behalf of the Senate (or "upper" house), and with proclamation in hand, he welcomed the Sturnese delegation saying, "We are both better for the exchange of ideas and cultural values" and thanked them for making the trip to Glen Cove, which, he said with a smile, "is the most beautiful spot in the 5th Senate District, which I just happen to represent." He added that this just happens to be an election year. The comment earned a round of laughter and, once translated, brought even more from the Italians.

Comptroller DiNapoli welcomed the Sturnese to Glen Cove and thanked Mayor Suozzi for "continuing the bonds that connect us." He commented that when he visited Sturno, he went to the city council and saw a flag of Glen Cove in the chambers.

The comptroller has unarguably the closest connection to the Sturnese mayor: blood. Mr. DiNapoli and Mayor Di Cecilia are cugini. (Mr. DiNapoli's grandmother and Mayor Di Cecilia's grandfather were siblings.) Mr. DiNapoli said his grandparents were born in Sturno and came to Nassau County by way of Brooklyn; he acknowledged longtime family friends in the audience. He remarked that he felt great pride in knowing that public service was genetic.

Congressman King said he was going to address the crowd in Gaelic, but that a translator could not be found. He commended Mayor Suozzi on renewing the bonds that connect Glen Cove and Sturno, adding that he knew how much that connection had meant to Mayor Jimmy Suozzi and was proud to know so many descendents from Sturno who have "made a great contribution to our country." He also cautioned Mayor Di Cecilia that "Whenever you visit Glen Cove, the mayor will be a Suozzi." The congressman presented the mayor with a plaque from the House of Representatives of the United States Congress.

Mayor Suozzi then presented Mayor Di Cecilia with a U.S. flag that had been flown over the Capitol, with a nod to Congressman King, as well as a flag of Glen Cove.

When he took the microphone, Mayor Di Cecilia said he was grateful for the honor being given to him and his countrymen and remarked on the large number of dignitaries and citizens present for the evening's ceremony, considering he was visiting a small city. "Very seldom do I get this type of honor...I cannot express my feelings," he said. He thanked Mayor Suozzi for the invitation and the opportunity to renew the bonds of the Sister Cities. Speaking for the Italian people, Mayor Di Cecilia said they are eternally grateful to the United States for liberating Italy from its state of fascism and for helping the country become the democracy that flourishes today. The United States and Italy, he added, will always have a friendship, through good times and bad. "It wasn't just two mayors that made our cities Sister Cities," he said. "It is the people. The people of America are always welcome to Italy with open arms." He and his staff presented Mayor Suozzi with a certificate from the Province of Avellino, Sturno's equivalent of Nassau County, and a key to the city of Sturno. They also presented their American counterparts with silver handmade medals commemorating Sturno's 200th anniversary next year. It seems Italy may be older than America, but Glen Cove is older than Sturno.

Mayor Suozzi concluded the evening by saying that although the cities of Sturno and Glen Cove are in two different nations separated by an ocean, the residents of Glen Cove and the residents of Sturno, today and forever, have a mutual respect and pride. "I'll close with the Italian words I learned 20 years ago," he said. "Viva Sturno. Viva Glen Cove."

It was then off to the Sons of Italy Loggia No. 1016 for what was sure to be a continuation of the warmth, hospitality and camaraderie experienced throughout the evening, and undoubtedly the addition of good food and wine. It was, after all, a celebration of Italia.