More than a century of close ties binds Rockford, Illinois, and Ferentino, Italy. That bond was made official when they became Sister Cities two decades ago. State, city and county proclamations have recognized this milestone. Mayors Larry Morrissey of Rockford and Piergianni Fiorletta of Ferentino signed the official Sister City documents in May 2006. Nine officials from Ferentino’s city council and the city’s arts and cultural organization traveled to Rockford for the ceremony and a busy week of meetings and festivities. Ferentino is an ancient-yet-modern city of 21,000 people located 45 minutes southeast of Rome. It is rich with Roman …

The Greater Rockford Italian American Association (GRIAA) held its annual Italian Hall of Fame and Special Recognition Award Dinner on Oct. 14 at the Venetian Club in Rockford. Fr. James Ciamataro and Frank Valentine were inducted into the Hall of Fame, Bove’s Auto and Truck Repair received a Special Recognition Award for Business, and Dan Appino received a Special Recognition Award for Sports. The awardees were also recognized at the annual Columbus Day Mass on Oct. 15 at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Rockford. Ciamataro served as pastor of St. Anthony’s from 1988-2022. Realizing that the histories of the …