Stone from Cambridge temple arch presented to Italian mayor
A stone from an Indian temple arch in Cambridge has been installed in an Italian town as a sign of friendship between the locations.
Mill Road hairdresser Piero D’Angelico was instrumental in saving the Bhavat Bhavan temple’s stone archway from being dumped in a skip by Cambridgeshire County Council when it was removed from the old library building on Mill Road.
He raised funds to have the archway erected in Ditchburn Place for the whole community to enjoy.
But when the stones were reconfigured to make the new Gateway from India arch, there was one large decorative stone left over.
Now Piero has taken it to his hometown of Castelluccio Valmaggiore in Italy, where it has been put on display during a ceremony attended by Piero with fellow members of the Mill Road Traders, Abdul Arain, and the mayor of Castelluccio, as well as Cambridge’s mayor Baiju Thittala and Cllr Robert Dryden, who is Grand Prior of the UK and Ireland of the Order of St George the Martyr.
Piero explains: “I wanted to do something that would create a cultural connection between Cambridge and my hometown as well as honouring the connection with India. My grandfather Falco Gian Pietro was a stonemason and so this project meant a lot to me personally. Sir Pascuale Marchese, mayor of Castalluccio Valmaggiore, came over to see the gateway from India arch being officially opened in the gardens at Ditchburn Place last year and that is when he was presented with the last remaining decorative stone from the archway.
“He then invited us back to Castelluccio Valmaggiore and we went last week on a cultural exchange. The cornerstone is currently on display at the town hall alongside a carving of the Gateway from India arch but eventually it will be placed on the ‘Arco Del Pozzo’, the town’s gateway, which is next to my grandfather’s old house. This celebrates the history of stonemasonry in my hometown and the connection with Cambridge and India. It is about creating friendships.
“We enjoyed such wonderful hospitality in Italy and were welcomed there like old friends. They were delighted to display the stone carving and mark the link between our two towns. Now the mayor of Castalluccio has offered to arrange honorary Italian citizenship for our English guests. While we were in Italy, we also learnt about a project helping female textile workers in India receive a fair wage.”
The ceremony was held in Castelluccio Valmaggiore, where a miniature replica of the gateway from India is framed with the cornerstone and was unveiled by the two mayors.
Cambridge’s mayor Cllr Thittala said: “I was honoured and felt privileged to attend the cultural exchange of two cities.”
He added of his time in Italy: “The hospitality is beyond words. I have also been offered honorary citizenship in Italy for my work, commitment to championing diversity, and relentless fight to achieve social justice. I have also been invited to the Senate of the Republic (Italy) by Senatrice Gislla Naturale.”
