The United States is often called a melting pot and Giovanni Greco of Italy can attest to that. “It’s very strange or surprising how, in the U.S., you see people coming from different countries,” he said Wednesday. “On the one hand, you see them keeping their ethnic identity. On the other, they are together.” Greco, the mayor of Castrolibero, Italy, is in Kenosha this week as part of a sister city visit. Castrolibero is a city in Cosenza, a province in the Calabria region in southern Italy.

He’s among a group of 28 visitors visiting Chicago and Kenosha and staying in a residence hall at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Luigino Filice, a professor at the University of Calabria, agreed with Greco. After observing Italian-Americans celebrating Columbus Day on Monday in Chicago, Filice said with an amused smile: “It’s surprising to see Italians more united outside of our country than they are in Italy. It is also a strong example for Europe for the inclusion of immigrants.”