Hey, Greenville. Or should we say “ciao.” Last year, we told you that 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of the Sister Cities program in Greenville (ours is Bergamo, Italy) and we have good news — the first celebration event was just announced.

We'll continue updating you on more ways to celebrate this milestone, but until then, here's a little history.

What’s a Sister City?

According to Sister Cities International, “A sister city, county, or state relationship is a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities in two countries. A relationship is officially recognized after the highest elected or appointed official from both communities sign off on an agreement to become sister cities.”

Why is Bergamo our Sister City?

Bergamo became Greenville’s first Sister City in 1985 + the city’s similar size and textile history made it a good fit for Greenville.

Where can we see some of this Italian influence in our city? It was an architect from Bergamo who helped design what used to be called Piazza Bergamo on Main Street, plus Ristorante Bergamo — on the corner of Main + Coffee — has been serving up modern Italian food since 1986.

Over the years, Bergamo has made its way into other facets of our city.

The Bergamo Symphony Orchestra has performed in Greenville several times
Sculptor Elia Aiolfi has visited to host an exhibition
A Bergamo college professor once visited to lecture at Furman University.

Fun fact: Greenville actually has more than one sister city — Kortrijk, Belgium; Vadodara, India; and the Tianjin Free Trade Zone in China are Greenville’s other current Sister Cities. Learn more.