At a ceremony held yesterday week in Macerata, the Italian town was twinned with Floriana.

Floriana mayor Nigel Holland and Macerata mayor Giorgio Meschini, who signed on behalf of their respective towns, had already signed the agreement in Malta on 1 July.

The Maltese delegation also included deputy mayor Franco Davies and other council officials.

What links the two towns is the fact that Macerata is the birthplace of Pietro Paolo Floriani, the military architect who designed and built the bastions surrounding Valletta and gave his name to the suburb of Valletta.

The first celebration of the twinning took place on Thursday with an evening dedicated to Floriani in the Villa Floriani Compagnoni.

The Saturday event also commemorated the 25th anniversary of the signing of a twinning agreement between Macerata and the French town of Issy le Moulineaux.

The celebrations came to an end with a dinner in the main square of the town followed by the national anthems of the countries together with the Hymn to Europe.

The Maltese delegates, who have now returned home, took part in seminars and workshops on the concept of twinning in Europe during their stay. They also visited Palazzo Buonaccorsi, two exhibitions currently being held in the town, and the house of Leopardi in Recanati. On Sunday, after visiting Assisi, that saw the opera Macbeth at the Sferisterio arena.