One of the best kept secrets in Whitehall Township may be out of the bag.

Whitehall Township is considered a sister city with Forli, Italy, a bond which dates back 13 years, when Glenn Solt served as township executive.

A display case of township artifacts and history in the commissioners meeting room holds a handsome engraved bronze plaque. The plaque depicts the countries of Italy and the United States with two hands in the center clasped. The raised lettering states "Forli Whitehall, PA. Sister Cities Le Citta Di Sorella 2002."

An opportunity for Whitehall residents to travel together to Forli could happen in the future.

"It is an idea we are working on," said Laura Long, executive director of the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce, acknowledging the Chamber is pursuing sponsoring a trip to Italy. Long said its focus is to place Forli on its itinerary.

"The tour would be open to the public," Long said. She added much work needs to be done in the interim, such as locally and with Forli leaders and residents.

"It is excellent to strengthen such a bonding between the township and Forli, whose rich history spans not decades, but centuries," Long added.

Solt said the Sister Cities arrangement originated by chance, not by design or through a specific meeting.

"I was at a Ferrari car show held in another county when a conversation was struck up with this gentleman from Forli," Solt said.

Whitehall Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. and Solt said they have not visited Forli.

Forli is situated along the Via Emilia, near the Montone River. It is a prosperous agricultural and industrial center, with manufacturing focused on silk, rayon, clothing, machinery, metals and household appliances.

It is a city of significant architectural, artistic and historical significance, that includes frescoes as art. At the heart of the city sits Piazzs Aurelo Saffi, which includes a statue of Italian politician Aurelio Saffi, an important figure in the radical republican current within the Risorgimento movement in the 19th century.

Piazza Saffi includes the Abbey of San Mercuralis, a bishop of the city who died in the 5th century.

The city also has the Church of San Domenico, a late medieval church built in the 13th century. A city of many cultural and historical landmarks, birthplaces of historical figures and the famed Sepulchre of Barbara Manfredi. The University Campus of Forli, part of the University of Bologna, specializes in economics, engineering, political science and the Advanced School of Modern Languages for Interorewters and Translators.

Forli has a green park, the Parco della Resistenza and The Teatro Diego Fabbri, a theater which opened in 2000.

The city's founding is of some debate, some saying it dates back to 207 B.C., others stating 88 B.C. and still others arguing it was founded during the time of Julius Caesar.