Welcome to the third in a series of articles introducing Frome’s four partner towns, formerly known as twin towns.
These partnerships offer opportunities to share sport, art, culture and more and make lifelong friends. This week it’s the turn of our newest partner, Pieve di Soligo in northern Italy.
Pieve di Soligo became the fifth town to join our partnership in June 2025, along with Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne, France; Murrhardt, Germany and Rabka Zdrój, Poland.
The administration of Murrhardt made the initial link and invited a delegation from Pieve di Soligo to Murrhardt to discuss the new partnership. The formal accord was signed in Pieve di Soligo on 2nd June 2025.
Pieve di Soligo is in the Veneto Region in northern Italy, about one hour’s car journey north of Venice. It has around 12,000 inhabitants.
The Veneto region is world-famous for its Prosecco Superiore wine production and the vineyard region of these Prosecco hills is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. At the heart of Pieve di Soligo stands the cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. The region offers many vineyards, walking trails and many challenging cycling routes.
As well as cycling through rolling hills and scenic countryside, cyclists can take on the legendary Monte Grappa climb renowned for its challenging ascent.
It’s also known for an annual gastronomic event – ‘The Giant Spit Roast’ (Spiedo Gigante). Noted in the Guinness Book of Records, the tradition sees a 15-metre roast prepared in the town’s central square, celebrating the region’s traditional spit-roasting and slow cooking over wood fires.
The Soligo river divides the main town into two districts, ‘Contà’ and ‘Trevisan’. There is friendly rivalry between them and once a year a tug-of-war between them is held in the main square. In the past, this was held on the bridge over the Soligo.
A weekly market to rival our very own Frome Independent takes place every Saturday in the centre of Pieve di Soligo.
The Mayor of Pieve di Soligo, Stefano Soldan, and his administration have truly embraced the partnership with the four towns with friendship, hospitality and shared values.
If your organisation would like to explore a partnership with a group in Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne, I’d be delighted to hear from you. Please contact me at pcampagna@frometowncouncil.gov.uk
Philip Campagna
