 On Friday, October 1, 2010, the people of Alba, Italy joined a delegation from Medford in Alba’s Piazza Medford for a very special event. Alba’s
mayor, Maurizio Marello, opened a ceremony that marked the beginning of
three days of celebration of the fifty years that Alba and Medford have
been sister cities. As an honor guard of the Carbinieri saluted, the
flags of Italy and the United States were raised above plaza while the
Mayor’s wife, Teresa sang the anthems of both counties in a beautiful
and resonant soprano voice. Mayor Marello, Medford City Council
president Al Densmore, Medford’s sister city committee chairman, Liz
Smith, her Alba counterpart, Giorgio Sordo and an enthusiastic throng
were joined by the American Consul Annmaria Saiono for an occasion that
is emblematic of the very special relationship between the two cities.
They
were gathered on the veranda of Alba’s exhibit and convention hall to
observe a singular event in the long history of the affiliation of Alba
and Medford. Mayor Marello and his administration had recently elected
to honor the memory of former Medford Mayor John Snider by naming one of
Alba’s streets, Via John Snider. This unprecedented action by the City
of Alba not only recognizes Mayor Snider’s prominent role in
establishing and nurturing the ties between the two cities but is a
testament to the importance of the Medford-Alba connection and the
breadth an depth of the friendship that it has engendered. Two of John
Snider’s children were present for the ceremony, Doug Snider and Mary
Ann Edelstein. Addressing the crowd that included many of John Snider’s
friends gathered for the occasion, Doug Snider noted that Alba does not
take the naming of streets lightly and had named its streets for
significant figures in Alba’s rich history. He said that the people of
Alba could take pride in telling visitors that it had named a very
prominent street for a very special friend. Link
Following addresses by Mayor Marello and Consul Saiano, the crowd moved to the intersection where Via John Snider begins for the unveiling a newly minted street sign bearing its new name. Doug Snider and Mary Ann Snider Edelstein were given the privilege of pulling the cords that removed the Italian and American flags veiling the new sign. They were joined by friends who have been deeply involved in the sister city connection since its inception. Among them was Alba’s first ambassador to Medford, Pino Dutto, who is hosting the Snider family during their stay in Alba. Pino was very instrumental in having the street dedicated to John Snider. Several former mayors of Alba were present for the unveiling including Medford’s special friend Gianni Toppino. Several of the first group from Alba to visit Medford were in attendance.
Following the unveiling, an official ceremony was held in Alba’s council chambers to observe the fifty years of friendship that the two cities celebrate this year. During the ceremony, Consul Saiano remarked that, in her career in international diplomacy, she has been involved with many sister city affiliations but she has never known one as successful and as deeply rooted in personal friendships as the Medford-Alba program. Mayor Marello remarked that the connection between the two peoples was much like a brotherhood.
The
day’s festivities concluded with a fabulous dinner at the nearby
Castello Grinzane Cavour, the ancestral home of Italy’s first prime
minister. Following an exquisite meal featuring Piedmontese cuisine and
Alba’s prestigious wines, the participants gathered in front of the
hilltop castle to watch fireworks exploding across the valley above the
city of Alba. The fireworks marked the end of a perfect day in Alba the
inauguration of the second half century of this phenomenal union of
cities
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