Exploring Newport’s “Sisters-by-the-Sea” & other stories for savoring spring

From the editor ~ March/April 2025

Dear readers,

Our cover story this issue is one we’ve been wanting to tell for a while, and sometimes, waiting is worth your while: When we first started talking about featuring Newport’s Sister Cities, we didn’t know a new commission was in the works. Fast forward to this spring, when that commission, formed last summer, will make its official debut as its hosts a delegation from Kinsale, Ireland from April 9-14. The occasion? A celebration of a quarter century of Newport and Kinsale having been formally twinned. (Last spring, about 100 people from Newport traveled to Kinsale to celebrate the 25th anniversary.)

As someone who loves to travel — and was once a proud member of Portsmouth High School’s Multicultural Explorers Club — learning about Newport’s Sister Cities has fascinated me for years. I first heard about this program as a copy editor in the newsroom of The Newport Daily News, where I worked from 2011-2018, and where the Sister Cities were covered from time to time. (Fun fact: I worked at The Daily News along with Katelyn McSherry, our publisher and fellow Sister City enthusiast).

You might know the sign by First Beach that greets drivers as they ascend Memorial Boulevard, proudly announcing Newport’s six Sister Cities: Kinsale; Shimoda, Japan; Skiathos, Greece; Imperia, Italy; Ponta Delgada, Portugal; and Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. But beyond that, as more than one person has told me, you might not know what, exactly, that means.

In pursuit of learning more, I met with Brenda Bachman, chairwoman of the new commission, and Alexa Waluk, a member of the former Hospitality Commission, which gave way to the Sister City Commission, of which she is now a member. These women shared their vision for the future of the program, which has impacts on both Newport as a municipality and a community.

I also chatted with John Twomey in Kinsale, who serves as chairman of the Kinsale Twinning Committee, and corresponded with Diego Parodi in Imperia, where he’s a former City Council member, and Atsushi Nakamura in Shimoda, where he’s a current City Council member, to learn more about what the Sister City relationship means to them and their respective communities.

To read the whole story — complete with stunning photos (our Sister Cities are all very swoon-worthy!) and some interesting facts (all presented beautifully by our designer, Kirsten Hegg) — flip to page 40.

In keeping with our international theme, Andrea McHugh profiles Chef Carmine Mottola, who has rejuvenated the menus and approach to cuisine at The Reef and La Forge’s new Bellevue Bar. Originally from Italy, Chef Carmine has worked at restaurants all over the world and now splits his time between visits to Newport and his home in Switzerland.

We also spotlight John Quinn’s new book on Newport’s Catholic history (which lends credit to the arrival of French troops in Colonial Newport), along with the return of the Newport Symposium hosted by the Preservation Society of Newport County, which this spring focuses on the city’s Italian design influences.

Then we delve into the world of ospreys, which are fascinating creatures and especially beloved in the Ocean State, where dozens of volunteers monitor their nests; you may have spotted at locations around Jamestown and Aquidneck Island. For that story, Bob Curley spoke with expert birders at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and Conanicut Island Raptor Project.

Last, but certainly not least, we have a first-person piece by Sarah Winters, who has been working as the magazine’s editorial intern since the fall. In May, she’ll graduate from Salve Regina University with dual degrees in English Communications and Creative Writing & Publishing, along with a minor in English Literature. For this issue, she’s written a reflection of her time at Salve and in Newport that is accompanied by photos from Mackenzie Kirby, another graduating Salve senior. We wish Sarah all the best and have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of her name in print.

On that note, cheers to spring, and the start of longer (and hopefully warmer!) days ahead.

Until May,

Helena

Managing Editor

p.s. Wondering where to find the magazine? Check out this list of retail locations: https://www.newportlifemagazine.com/where-to-buy-nlm/

p.p.s. Interested in subscribing? You can do that here: https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/newport-life-magazine