Portland+Bologna

PBSCA is an active organization that hosts and co-hosts many events throughout the year. In recent years, we have hosted our youth exchange to and from Bologna, Italian cyclists, our Amici dinner, our annual Sagra fundraiser, wine tastings and more. As an official Sister City, we also are part of the Portland Rose Festival activities including the Grand Floral Parade which happens 2nd weekend of June every year.

2024 YEAR END LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

We have successfully wrapped up our 20th year celebration! We invite you to pause and reflect on the moments that have defined us. Our President, Phil Potestio, has penned a heartfelt End-of-Year Letter, encapsulating the achievements, and the lessons learned throughout this transformative year.

Read here

Sister City Reception - 20th Year Anniversary

The year 2024 marked the 20th Year Anniversary between Portland and Bologna. The year was full of festivities to celebrate this vibrant partnership. The Comune di Bologna Delegate, Massimo Antinucci, traveled all the way to Portland to speak at the Sister City Reception at Portland City Hall. He attended other Rose Festival Week Festivities, including riding on the Sister City Trolley with our President, Phil Potestio and then-Portland Mayor, Ted Wheeler.

(Pictured below L-R: Vice-President Mark Brubaker, Supporter Rick Potestio, President Phil Potestio, Comune di Bologna Delegate Massimo Antinucci and Executive Director Gabriella Tomei. Taken at the Sister City Reception at Portland City Hall, June 2024)

ANNOUNCING OUR NEW “CIBO E AMICI” FUND, IN HONOR OF MARIA ROSA MARTELLI BREKKE

Portland’s thriving Italian-American community - and our own PBSCA - owes a debt of gratitude to this inimitable woman, who was born in Bologna and made Portland her home. Affectionately known as la donna di Bologna, her warm smile and talent as a home chef helped so many of us to feel connected to each other and to the world around us through her food and her love of Italian culture.

In her honor and thanks to a generous seed gift, the Maria Rosa Martelli Brekke Cibo e Amici Fund was launched earlier this year. With this fund, PBSCA is creating a series of educational events to help us better understand and celebrate the power of Italy’s food culture, specifically that of the Emilia Romagna region, to bring us closer together. We kicked off in April with our first Virtual Taste of Bologna event featuring Chef Giorgia Lambertini, and we hope you can join us on June 8 for our Amici dinner. Ideas welcome!

We invite you to read our 2006 interview with Maria Rosa and to make a contribution to help this grow faster. (If you are giving online, please also send us an email to let us know that we should direct this!)

OUR YOUTH EXCHANGE, SINCE 2008

The Portland-Bologna Youth Exchange Program is a two-year cycle. We are resuming the program in Summer 2026—first sending Portland students to Italy then hosting students from Bologna in 2027. Applications for 2026-27 are open and we invite you to visit our Youth Exchange page!