Omaha’s sister city of Carlentini, on the Sicilian island from which most local Italians descended, has further cemented a connection with its Nebraska partners. As dozens of Omahans visited Carlentini last weekend, officials in the town some 5,000 miles away put final touches on a sister city pact that started forming several years back.

The mayors of Carlentini and Omaha had already signed an official “twinning” agreement last year when Mayor Giuseppe Stefio was in Omaha. But Saturday’s ceremony marked Carlentini’s turn to celebrate on its turf, among its 17,000 residents.