It all began in a cathedral in Calabria. At the beginning of the 20th century, immigrants from Rossano disembarked in São Paulo, bringing with them little more than their faith in Our Lady of Achiropita. They settled in Bixiga and, there, erected... one of the most vibrant Italian communities in the Americas.
One hundred years later, this bond is making its way to paper. A project of twinning (sister cities) gains new momentum between Corigliano-Rossano, in southern Italy, and the São Paulo neighborhood. The twinningA twinning agreement, or sister-city agreement, establishes permanent cultural, educational, sporting, and economic cooperation between two territories.
The idea of officially bringing the two communities closer together was proposed in 2016 by the senator. Ernesto Rapani and gained institutional form in January 2025. Now, the project is moving forward concretely on both sides of the Atlantic.
This is a symbolic moment. In 2026, Feast of Our Lady of Achiropita turns one hundred years oldThe largest Italian festival in Brazil was recognized by the federal government as a National Cultural Manifestation through Law 14.829/2024.
The devotion originates from the Cathedral of Rossano, in Calabria, from where the Calabrians brought their faith. Today, the festival receives between 250.000 and 300.000 people throughout August, with more than 1.200 volunteers, and all the proceeds go to social projects of the parish.
The ongoing movement
On the Italian side, the twinning is coordinated by the mayor. Flavio Stasi and by the leader Giovanni Soda, supported by the municipal employee Serafino Caruso and his team. The process has matured over the years and today has the support of the community in both territories.
The project is already in the organizational phase for eight young people from São Paulo to travel to Corigliano-Rossano, still in the second half of 2026. They will visit the Cathedral of Our Lady of Achiropita in Rossano, the Codex Purpureus RossanensisThey will visit Castello di Corigliano, the historic centers of both cities, olive oil production, and the historic Amarelli licorice factory. They will also have Italian language lessons and learn about the local cuisine.
Who is building this bridge?
In Rossano, the project involves Brazilians who work with the local population. Adelmo Pereira, a former soccer player, leads training sessions with children and integration activities with the community. Italian-Brazilian communityPriscila Pereira works with women and the local community.
Andrea Pirillo, a São Paulo native of Rossano origin, works as a cultural mediator between the two countries. Active among Brazilian women in Italy, she assists the project with language and culture and brings together people and institutions interested in strengthening the bond between Rossano and Bixiga.
A century in the same embrace.
The twinning between Corigliano-Rossano and Bixiga didn't happen out of nowhere. It stems from the work of those who have kept the festival alive for a hundred years: the more than 1.200 volunteers who take turns each August, the families who have passed on the devotion from generation to generation, and the income that goes entirely back to the parish's social projects.
It is this community, built on dialect, cuisine, and the streets, that now sees its own neighborhood recognized on the other side of the Atlantic. Formalizing the bond in the centenary year of Achiropita returns to Rossano a part of what left there a century ago.
