Montalcino, homeland of Brunello, will be linked to another capital of the world’s wine, Napa

Montalcino, homeland of Brunello, will be linked to another capital of the world wine, Napa, beating heart of the wine production of California and of the United States: the mayor of Montalcino Silvio Franceschelli wrote a letter to the first citizen of Napa, Scott Sedgley, who responded with great enthusiasm to the idea of a twin township between the two cities, which boast a common and strong wine tradition, the propensity to wine tourism and, interestingly, they are both great producers of plums. The initiative joins the already existing bond with Hautvillers, a small French commune, cradle of Champagne, which in 2006 was paired with the city of San Giovanni d’Asso, which then joined Montalcino after the fusion of 2017. The sister city with Napa, after the endorsement of the Municipal Council of Montalcino, has begun the bureaucratic process that will end with the approval of the Ministry of the Interior.
The objectives of the twin town relationship are to implement the valorization of the food economy and the promotion of typical products linked to the territory, as well as to support marketing and market penetration, also through the fundamental tool of training students and young workers in the sectors involved. From the contacts started some time ago with the support of the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco between the Municipality of Montalcino and the City of Napa, a dialogue was born for the establishment of an institutional collaboration relationship. The Mayor Silvio Franceschelli wrote to the City of Napa asking for “the willingness to promote the establishment of a new network of international relations, also through the realization of a twin town relationship between institutions, through which to create opportunities and actions that make easy, profitable and long-lasting the collaboration between similar realities, even if distant, and the implementation of events and programs that develop the potential of the involved realities towards the outside world”. The response of the Mayor of Napa, Scott Sedgley, was not long in coming, expressing “the full and enthusiastic willingness to create the twin town relationship between the two cities”.
“For us - comments the mayor Silvio Franceschelli - it is not a symbolic twin town relationship but an exchange of information and training that wants to focus on our and their children and young people. With the formalization of this second sister city, after the one with Hautvillers, a small town in Champagne, with which the municipality of San Giovanni d’Asso has been twinned since 2014, we have united three world capitals of wine. A relationship that should not only be an exchange of conviviality but also opportunities for internships in companies. We will involve the Consorzio del Brunello and all those who can contribute to developing these relationships of friendship. I believe that good opportunities can be created in a world like the present one which is more and more connected”.