October 7 (BTA) - A new street named after Bulgarian
revolutionary Vasil Levski, was opened today in the municipality
 of Bolgare, near the town of Bergamo in northern Italy, at the
initiative of Bulgaria's Consul General in Milan, the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs announced.

The official ceremony was attended by Bolgare Mayor Luciano
Redolfi, Regional Councilor Stefano Bruno Galli, the Ambassador
of Bulgaria in Rome Todor Stoyanov, the Consul General of
Bulgaria in Milan Tanya Dimitrova, the Mayor of Vratsa Kalin
Kamenov, the Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in Lombardy Marco
Campanari, the Consul of Bulgaria in Bologna Franco Castellini,
the Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in Genoa Michele Scandroglio and
 other representatives of local authorities.

  The connection between Bulgaria and the Italian municipality
in the Province of Bergamo dates back centuries. In his book
"History of the Lombards", Paolo Diacono was the first to
associate the name "Bolgare" with "Bulgare", which means "a
place inhabited by Bulgarians". In 568, the Lombards entered
Italy, followed by various tribes, including the Hepides,
Bulgarians and Sarmatians.
 
To accentuate the connection between the historical origin of
Bolgare and the Bulgarian people, Consul General in Milan Tanya
Dimitrova presented the idea of naming the street "Vasil Levski"
 to the municipality of Bolgare. After negotiations between the
Bulgarian foreign mission and the mayor of Bolgare, which lasted
 more than 12 months, the emergence of a new street in a new
neighborhood has become possible thanks to close cooperation
between the two institutions, the Foreign Ministry said.

 An agreement for cooperation between the municipality of
Bolgare and the municipality of Vratsa was signed during the
opening ceremony of the new street. The representatives of the
two municipalities made a commitment to work together on common
European projects and various initiatives in the field of
culture.
 
PP/MT

/МТ/