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Garden of Navigators very impressive

June 30, 2013

We are often visitors to Rehoboth Beach. Our last visit for a long June 22 weekend was especially memorable.

Friends had invited us to come up for the Rehoboth Beach Sister Cities Association-sponsored dedication of the Garden of the Navigator on Sunday and other events during the visit of Mayor Alberto Bencista and a delegation from Rehoboth’s sister city of Greve in Chianti, Italy. Greve in Chianti also just happens to be the birthplace of the Italian navigation Giovanni di Verrazzano who was the first to map the east coast of the U.S. coast in 1524. The site of the Garden honoring Verrazzano might actually have been within sight of his ship when it passed along our coast nearly 500 years ago.

The garden was more lovely than we had imagined. The dedication ceremony drew a large crowd. One was left with the feeling that it was a bonding experience for the crowd and the Greve Mayor Bencista and his delegation. Even the weather cooperated. Heat and thunderstorms were predicted, but sunshine and a sweet ocean breeze prevailed instead.

The Garden of the Navigators was designed by Ray Zebroski, who designed the Sister Cities Garden dedicated last year in Greve in Chianti and honoring Rehoboth Beach. The Rehoboth Beach garden incorporates plain Italian columns, a tiled pathway which includes a large compass and small lights symbolizing the stars which, along with the compass, guided Verrazzano’s historic voyage along the coast. It is surrounded by shrubs and flowering plants characteristic of the area. The garden is likely to become a popular place for residents and tourist visitors because of its special charm.

We felt very fortunate to be here and share this event with friends from Rehoboth Beach and from Greve in Chianti. We’ll be back for sure!

John and Fran Lovaas
Reston, Va.

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