MARTINEZ, Calif. – Mayor Rob Schroder yielded the microphone to Councilwoman Debbie McKillop for a formal reading the official declaration making Isola della Femmine, Italy a Martinez Sister City.
McKillop met a delegation from Isola della Femmine (Island of Women), while they were visiting Pittsburg and she was meeting with Pittsburg Mayor Vince Ferrante and others in September 2017.
She learned that the Italian Mayor Stefano Bologna, was a distant cousin and she informed him that Martinez has the same cultural link to his city.
There are strong familial ties because many Italian families immigrated from there to Martinez, Pittsburg, and Monterey in the late 1800s and early 1900s for the fishing, Mediterranean climate and fellow Italians who congregated in those areas.
McKillop invited Friends of Isola Della Femmine to the ceremony and brought Italian cookies. “I realized that we are related to the families in Pittsburg and in Monterey, and now those cities have a relationship too,” McKillop said later. The Pittsburg non-profit that supports that city’s 25-year old sister city relationship with the Sicilian town. Speaking for the group, Frank Bruno congratulated Martinez and said he looks forward to the cities strengthening their connections.
I love that Martinez became a sister city to Isola delle Femmine. Debbie McKillop is my cousin and I am so glad this all came together. Myself along with two of my sisters attended. All of the cousins to Joe DiMaggio are on the right side of the image. Thank You Martinez! You can get the book that shows all of the history of the Granger’s Wharf and which families were down there that started the fishing community by emailing me at photo@castles.com 925-228-4338. The Historical Society and the Martinez Museum also have a supply of books. Franci Lucero