Info_Town Twinning Report Dingli_MonteIsola

24/03/2019
During the morning, the participants took a boat ride around the island, visiting Carzano, Siviano. During this
sightseeing guided tour around Monte Isola, the Italian participants explained the history and traditions of Monte
Isola and how this is linked to the daily life of today’s community in Monte Isola. While the Italian participants
shared their knowledge on the history and traditions of Monte Isola and the venues which we visited, the Maltese
participants also shared any similar traditions which are present in Ħad-Dingli. The group also discussed the link
between the religious monuments found in both localities and the importance that the church had in the past
and how this has changed.
In the afternoon we also visited a number of local entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, explaining to us what
practices they are implementing in order to build sustainable tourism. Through these informal discussions, the
participants shared the burdens that they are facing and giving suggestions on the way forward.
Later, the group went to the Local Council premises and met with the staff and councillors. During this visit the
participants met with:
- The Mayor who explained his weekly routine;
- Some of the councillors who explained their work at the Municipality and the project that are ongoing and
those which are planned for the coming months;
- Customer Care Workers who explained what type of queries the citizens of Monte Isola and tourists usually
ask;
- Other workers at the municipality who explained the work they carry out; and
- Other persons during our tour at the premises.
This visit was followed by a discussion on the openness of both towns when it comes to foreign communities.
We discussed the temporary border controls amongst member states and any practices in place which assists
in the integration of foreign persons into the local communities.