Dr Ray Bondin, well known in the field of heritage protection, was recently given the Honorary Citizenship of the City of Ragusa in Sicily in recognition of the work he has performed there over recent years.

In a packed hall of the Town Hall and in the presence of all the important persons of the city and the Province the Mayor Nello Dipasquale stated that the Citizenship was being conferred to Ray Bondin “in recognition of the great contribution that he has given to the city at the international level that led to the recognition of the City as World Heritage by Unesco.” The event was very well covered in all the local media.

Ray Bondin has been given Honorary Citizenship by various other cities around the world, the latest by the city of Berat in Albania. In Sicily he already holds the Honorary Citizenship of Palazzolo Acreide and Militello. He is currently the Manager for EU & International Programs at Heritage Malta. Internationally he holds various positions among which the President of the International Scientific Committee of Historic Towns and Villages of ICOMOS.

As part of the same occasion a seminar was held later in the day on the links between Malta and Sicily in which Dr Francis Zammit Dimech and Dun Gwann Azzopardi presented papers.