A SOUTH Cumbrian village welcomed 11 Italians from a medieval hamlet as part of a twin town programme.

In 2009, Coniston twinned with Solto Collina, a small town situated on the shores of Lake Iseo in the north-east of Italy - not far from Bergamo.

Jackie Coe, secretary of Coniston and Direct International Twinning Association, said: “Our inspiration for twinning is based on the things we share – mountains, lakes, beautiful scenery, sheep farming and industries to do with stone.

“The main difference is that their lake and mountains are much bigger – a drive around Lago Iseo is 37 miles, which is quite a lot more than Coniston’s 14.”

Earlier this month, the Italians explored Coniston for the first time since 2019.

They were blessed with blue skies and fantastic views in all directions as they climbed in the morning to the top of the Sir John Barrow monument in Ulverston.

(Image: Italian visitors at the Sir John Barrow monument in Ulverston. Photo Credit: Jackie Coe)
In the afternoon they enjoyed a lunch in the Base Restaurant in Ford Park before Alan Heppenstall gave a guided tour of the town with an Italian commentary, which included a visit to the Coro where the group took a picture with the Laurel and Hardy statue.

(Image: Italian's outside the Coronation Hall with the Laurel and Hardy statue. Photo Credit: Jackie Coe)

They were then treated to a Ceilidh evening at the Water Yeat Village Hall where they were entertained by the Cornerstone Band.

“We opened the event to the Crake Valley and about 50 people attended altogether,” Jackie said.

“Sometimes our twinning association seems to mainly involve a small group of enthusiasts, so it was a great opportunity to share twinning friendship with the wider community.”

Four Italians were joined by nine locals as they climbed the Old Man of Coniston.

Jackie said it was the longest time it had ever taken her to climb the mountain as there was so much to talk about in terms of learning about the geology and history of flora in the area.

Whilst the mountaineers were busy hiking, the rest of the group enjoyed a trip on the Steamboat Gondola and had some time to explore Brantwood’s house and gardens.

The twinners were then reunited on Sunday evening for a traditional Sunday roast at the Sun Inn.

“One of the Italians near me was a bit puzzled by the Yorkshire Pudding, but once he had some gravy on it, he decided it was quite nice and ate it with relish,” Jackie said.

After wandering around Ulverston for a bit of shopping and Grange-over-Sands for a walk along the promenade, the group then said their goodbyes before departing from Manchester Airport.

(Image: Italian visitors on the promenade at Grange-over-Sands. Photo Credit: Jackie Coe)

“Our visitors said, as they left, that they hoped to see us in Solto Collina in 2025,” Jackie said.

“We assured them we’d be there."