Florence

2015-03-09 03:38:42
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About the city

Florence is the capital city of the Tuscany region and has the largest population with around 383,000 inhabitants in 2013.

Florence is considered one of the most beautiful historical cities in Italy. In fact, the historic center of the city was declared a “World Heritage Site” by UNESCO in 1982. It has also been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. In addition to the historical beauty, Florence has been attracting tourists from all over the world, who are interested in visiting its cultural centers, museums and art galleries.

Furthermore, the city is known for its Italian fashion, being ranked in the top 15 fashion capitals of the world. It is also a major economic center, as it had the 17th highest average income in Italy in 2008.

About the agreement

The twinning agreement with the city of Florence is the first in the history of Bethlehem Municipality, which was signed on the 24th of June 1962 between the then mayor of Bethlehem, Mr. Ayoub Musallam, and the then Mayor of Florence, Mr. Giorgio La Pira.

This twinning had a good impact on the international cooperation, the preservation and evaluation of cultural heritage and the promotion of the culture of peace.

In 2012, the twinning agreement was renewed between the then Mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Batarsa and the then Mayor of Florence, Mr. Matthew Renzi. In the same year, the city of Florence has contributed to the renovation project of Hosh Al Sirian (the Syriac neighborhood) to be used as a guesthouse within a project funded by the Italian Government and financed by several Italian municipalities through the Palestinian Municipal Support Program.

On January 13th 2017, a delegation from the Municipality of Florence, headed by Mayor Dario Nardla, visited the city of Bethlehem and met with the then Mayor of Bethlehem, Ms. Vera Baboun. Many projects were presented as part of the Twinning Agreement in that year, which included a student exchange project in the field of the preservation of the cultural heritage of Bethlehem, the participation of Bethlehemite artists at the Florence Exhibition for Crafts, and finally the contribution to the construction of a football stadium in Bethlehem.

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