On behalf of the town, Rocky Hill Mayor Tony LaRosa and Town Council member Barbara Orsinini Surwilo presented Amenta and the other men with gifts to commemorate their visit. In turn, Amenta presented LaRosa with gifts of gratitude, including historical books about Canicattini Bagni.
Amenta said he was "very impressed" with everything he saw on his visit. He and the other representatives were very complimentary of Rocky Hill in their comments, which were translated by James Ciarcia, Rocky Hill resident and resident of the Canicattinese Society of Hartford. They extended an invitation to the residents of Rocky Hill to come visit Canicattini Bagni, a town of about 7,500 people located in the provence of Syracuse in Sicily.
Surwilo said Rocky Hill and Canicattini Bagni became sister cities by council resolution in 2000, when Surwilo was mayor. Rocky Hill resident Gaetano DiStefano was instrumental in that process. Then, in 2002, a group from Rocky Hill, including Surwilo, DiStefano and Lois Morton, the town's tourism official at the time, visited Canicattini Bagni. Surwilo said everyone was very hospitable on their visit.
The group, which paid its own way, was originally scheduled to visit in 2001 a week after Sept. 11. But, the terroroist attacks forced them to reschedule.
According to Surwilo, several residents in Rocky Hill have roots in Canicattini Bagni and Floridia, also a sister city of Rocky Hill and also located in the provence of Syracuse in Sicily. Surwillo's maternal grandparents were from Canicattini Bagni.
Besides Amenta, the group of representatives visiting Rocky Hill included Salvatore La Rosa, vice mayor; Corrado Miceli, town councilman; Paolo Petrouto, town councilman; Gaetano Amenta; regional councilman (similiar to a state representative); Sebastiano Cascone, vice president of the regional council; Angelo Pizzo, assesor; Corrado Catoldi, assesor; and Gaetano Guzzando; official town recorder.