On Monday, Feb. 24, Walla Walla Mayor Tom Scribner received this statue on behalf of the City, as a gift from Mayor Fabrizio Garreggia of Cannara, Perugia, Italy. Walla Walla and Cannara have been sister cities since signing a pact of friendship in December 2015.

The statue, by artist Antonio De Paoli, is titled "...Andate e riempite il cielo di canti..." ("Go and fill the sky with songs"). It depicts St. Francis of Assisi with several birds, a reference to a legend in which Francis had an encounter with a large flock of birds at Piandarca, Italy, preaching a sermon to them and blessing them. Assisi is about 12 kilometers from Cannara, and Francis visited Cannara many times.