Winners 2007

The village awards a prize to two emigrants in recognition to creators of the website for foreign residents

Torricella Peligna: The epilogue of the first edition of “The Week of Torricellans in the World” was an awards ceremony by Mayor Tiziano Teti  to two emigrants who distinguished themselves by promoting the culture of the village together with knowledge about the middle Sangro Aventino’s great potential.

The prize winners are Albert Porreca and Dan Aspromonte who live respectively in New Jersey and California. Their merit was that a few years ago they created the website www.torricellapeligna.com which has enabled emigrants to meet each other within a sort of virtual community which unites them ever more closely: firstly with a forum group on “Yahoo” created by Edoardo Gentile and then when “The Week of Torricellans” was set up. This has brought many emigrants back to the village. In fact, you can hear many different languages being spoken in this small mountain center in these days by the emigrants who have returned from the Americas and from Northern Europe.

The first citizen gave the prizewinners a papyrus certificate made by Paola Di Biase, and a silver tower handmade by Pasquale Imbastaro. The Mayor, The Deputy Mayor Piero Ottobrini, and the Culture Assessor Carmine Ficca, spoke of their desire to make the award a yearly institution. Others who contributed to the work include Marion Porreca, Angela Di Berardino, and Antonio Piccoli, who for years have maintained contacts with Torricellans abroad, and they update the site with news.

(Walter Teti)