A party of 11 from Romsey’s twin town of Treviglio in northern Italy enjoyed the sights and sounds of Beggars Fair and Romsey Festival during a visit to the town over the weekend.

They were joined by five members of TAE Teatro, a theatre company based in Treviglio who were the invited guests of RAODS, following their first appearance in Romsey in 2017.

The Italian actors entertained the Beggars Fair crowds with parades and performances of street theatre involving masked characters from the commedia dell’arte. They also gave a circus skills workshop and a performance of a children’s show at the Plaza Theatre over the weekend.

Town Mayor, Cllr John Ray, welcomed the Italian twinners to Romsey at a reception at the Town Hall.

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In reply, the head of the Treviglio group, Gian Battista Scrivanti, referred to the longstanding links between the two towns which dated from well before the formal establishment of the partnership in 2014.  Afterwards the group were treated to an entertaining and informative tour of the Abbey during which they viewed the original bill of sale from Henry VIII and the colourful exhibition of quilts.

On Saturday the Italian visitors enjoyed exploring the feast of music on offer at Beggars Fair. Among the dozens of acts performing they made a point of listening to several which featured members of Romsey Twinning, including Romsey Male Voice Choir who featured a stirring rendition of ‘Nessun dorma’ in their recital, specially chosen for the visitors.

The Italians attended the Abbey concert by the Michelmersh Silver Band and the Spitfire Sisters and the visit concluded with a barbecue at Woodley Scout Hut featuring a hog roast and other local produce. Eton Mess was served for pudding and the visitors enjoyed hearing about the origin of the name.

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The barbecue was also attended by the Mayor of Treviglio, Signor Juri Imeri, and a small party from their town hall who had arrived at lunchtime on Sunday. It was their first visit to the twin town and although they had sadly been unable to be here for Beggars Fair the group enjoyed enormously their flying visit and the warm Romsey welcome.

Signor Scrivanti said: "Although I have been coming to Romsey now for over 20 years this was the first time I had visited in the summer. It was good to see so many people outside enjoying the warm weather and the many and varied performances and exhibitions on offer at Festival time."

Plans are already under way for a return visit by Romsey twinners to Treviglio in spring next year. Anyone interested in joining in can contact romseytwinning@gmail.com