Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis welcomed Mayor Angelo Mattoccia and Deputy Mayor Marco Savarese of Pofi, Italy, to the city on Friday, Dec. 26, alongside Deputy Mayor and Councillor Rose Sicoli and members of Brantford’s Italian community.
The visit marks the first time since 1996 that a mayor and municipal administration from Pofi have travelled to Brantford to meet residents with roots in the Italian municipality.
The previous visit took place in August 1996, led by then-mayor Francesco Canale.
In his remarks, Mayor Davis said the visit underscored the shared values between the two communities, despite the geographic distance.
“It’s clear that we have much in common. We share a history, a rich history. We have a lot of cultural and civic pride in our communities, and those are values that resonate deeply here, and of course, in Pofi,” Davis said.
Davis described the visit as both symbolic and forward-looking.
“Today’s gathering is not only a symbol of the formal connection between our communities, but also a symbol of friendship, and hopefully a foundation for future collaboration,” he said, adding that the visit provides “an important opportunity to strengthen our relationship, to exchange ideas, and hopefully learn from one another’s experiences.”
He also highlighted the contribution of residents with roots in Pofi to Brantford’s development.
“There’s no question that the contributions to our community by those of Pofi ancestry have been very significant and very lasting,” Davis said.
“They form a very important and vibrant part of our community.”
Mayor Angelo Mattoccia said the visit carried deep emotional meaning, describing it as a reunion with a part of the Pofi community that has remained closely connected to its place of origin.
“I cannot hide the emotion of being here, of rediscovering this part of our community,” Mattoccia said.
“This is the family of Pofi that, in a sense, comes together and embraces again.”
He noted the historical significance of the delegation’s presence in Brantford.
“This institutional visit has great value and particular significance, because it is the first time since 1996 that a mayor and a municipal administration have returned here to meet their fellow citizens,” he said.
Mattoccia spoke about the generations of residents whose families emigrated from Pofi to Canada in the mid-20th century.
“These are stories of women and men who, starting in the 1950s and 1960s, courageously decided to leave their hometown to seek a better future here in Brantford,” he said.
“They did so carrying with them important values: work, family and a strong sense of community.”
He thanked residents for maintaining cultural ties with Pofi across generations.
“On behalf of the municipal administration and the community of Pofi, I sincerely want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Mattoccia said.
“Thank you for preserving traditions over time and for strengthening the identity that binds you to Pofi.”
Mattoccia also acknowledged the economic contributions made by residents of Italian origin to Brantford.
“We are proud to think that much of the economic development and job creation in this city has been made possible by you,” he said.
The mayor said the Pofi administration considers residents abroad an integral part of the municipality.
“Geographically Pofi is in Italy, but we are aware that Pofi is also here. Your place of origin has not forgotten you and will always consider you part of our history,” he said.
The delegation from Pofi is scheduled to remain in Brantford from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1.
Pofi is a municipality in the province of Frosinone, in Italy’s Lazio region, located about 80 kilometres southeast of Rome and approximately nine kilometres southeast of Frosinone.
As of Sept. 30, 2025, it had a population of about 3,855.
Based on publicly available 2021 census data, residents of Brantford who were born in Italy represent about 0.8 per cent of the city’s population, or roughly 840 people, out of a total population of approximately 104,688.
Place-of-birth data does not capture second- or third-generation Italian Canadians.
Historical records indicate that by 1967, about 6,000 people of Italian birth or descent were living in Brantford, though this figure is not reflected in recent census data.
