Florence, Italy is over 5,600 miles away from Austin. Yet, the two cities share more in common than one would think. This fall, Austin and Florence entered into a “historic agreement” to facilitate educational, cultural and business collaborations.

Cristiano Maggipinto is a diplomatic adviser to the mayor of Florence.“There were so many similarities and complementary aspects between our two cities that they were natural candidates to cooperate,” he said. The City of Austin’s Economic Development Department announced the signing of this Protocol of Cooperation Agreement in September.