Considered the centerpiece of the project, a town twinning arrangement between Ithaca and Elios Proni, Greece located on the island of Cephalonia is designed to establish permanent links between residents of both cities, and to cultivate mutual understanding between our respective cultures. Cephalonia, with a population of approximately 40,000 and an economy based on agriculture, services, and tourism, has an economy and demography not unlike the Ithaca region.

IES is pleased that the Mayor of Elios Proni, Gerasimos Metaxas Angelatatos, visited Ithaca March 23–26, 2007. During this time he and his delegation toured the Cornell campus and Ithaca and had the opportunity to experience some of the unique attractions of this area. The highlight of this historic visit was the key exchange ceremony between Ithaca, represented by Mayor Carolyn Peterson and Elios Proni, represented by Mayor Gerasimos Metaxas, which took place on March 25 at 2:30 pm in the Borg Warner Room at the Tompkins County Public Library.

Cornell University Vice Provost for International Relations, David Wippman and Director of the Institute for European Studies, Davydd Greenwood, spoke on behalf of the Cornell community. The event was open to the public.