Welcome To Voghera: Cheyenne’s Sister City In Italy

VOGHERA, Italy — It’s a bit confusing the first time you hear it — the way Italians pronounce “Cheyenne,” that is — but after a few times, you might find it charming, spicy even.

That’s because, ’round these parts halfway around the world from Wyoming, Cheyenne sounds more like cayenne, thanks to the silent “h” in the Italian language.

Pronunciation differences aside, spending a day in Voghera, Italy — one of Cheyenne’s five international sister cities — may feel surprisingly similar.

Hay bales dot the fields on the outskirts of town. Neighbors greet each other while having coffee. The center of town has many empty storefronts, and young people who grow up there often leave for greener pastures elsewhere.

Located roughly equidistant between Genoa and Milan in the Lombardy region of Italy, Voghera isn’t the type of place most Americans might have on their bucket list.

It’s a 50-minute train ride north from Genoa to Voghera, where I was greeted at the train station by Renato Cifarelli, who’d volunteered via a mutual acquaintance to show me around. 

Cifarelli was a good person to have as a tour guide.

In addition to living in this area his whole life, he heads up a family business that makes agricultural equipment. He’s served on various civic committees over the years and co-hosts a podcast about economics news.

And he’s on familiar enough terms with Voghera’s mayor, Paola Garlaschelli, that he requested a meeting with her on my behalf. (The timing didn't work out.)

Here’s a taste of what’s happening in this spaghetti Western sister city to Cheyenne.

Welcome to Cowboyland

The history of the Cheyenne-Voghera relationship dates back to 2002, when then-Cheyenne Mayor Jack Spiker signed a resolution to forge the bond, citing similarities like Voghera being home to the Cowboy Guest Ranch, also known as Cowboyland.

The resolution went on to say that the bond would “greatly benefit both cities to build, create and generate growth.”

Even so, none of the handful of people I met in Voghera had ever heard of this sister city partnership.

But there is evidence it exists at Cowboyland, the Western theme park on the outskirts of town. Hanging on the walls of the “Laramie Prison” within the main restaurant at the park are many posters from past Cheyenne Frontier Days and other references to Cheyenne.

There are other reminders — a corral where people ride horses Western style, reproductions of “wanted” posters of famous American outlaws, displays of Native American clothing, people tromping around in cowboy boots, and a fairly authentic saloon.

There’s an arena for events ranging from country line dancing to a live stunt show to the daily “Indian Village” show.

But the park’s main attraction, it seems, is the rides for kids.

Visiting Voghera

While the trains serving Voghera bring visitors right into the heart of the town of nearly 40,000 people, it’s not exactly the type of place that would be ideal for visiting without a car.

Most of the hotel options are at least several miles from the town’s hexagon-shaped city center. 

To be fair, there are attractions to keep visitors busy for a day or so, including a historical museum with a collection that boasts the Beretta M34 used to shoot Benito Mussolini and the first prototype of a remote-controlled airplane, along with a large cathedral (duomo) dating back to the 1600s. 

There’s also a building in the center of town with a balcony where Napoleon Bonaparte once stood to see off his troops in the 1800s and a building that was once home to a branch of the Bank of Italy.

Like many towns in Italy, as Cifarelli tells it, the main square in Voghera is home to four essential people who are all within a stone’s throw: the mayor, a priest, a pharmacist and a doctor. 

There also are many empty storefronts in the center of town, as stores have decamped for larger shopping areas outside of town and consumers are favoring online shopping.

Life In Voghera

The main industry in this region is agriculture, primarily related to wine, though tomatoes are also grown here, and the farmers rotate different crops each year. 

While the “riposo,” or midday break, is becoming less common in larger cities in Italy, it’s still common in Voghera.

At Cifarelli’s company, for example, summer hours are from 7 a.m. to noon, with work resuming from 1-4 p.m. Most people, he said, will go home during that break to eat. 

As is common in the United States, younger generations want a different type of life than their predecessors. They don’t necessarily want to work the land, they want more flexibility with office jobs, and many want to leave Italy altogether. 

That marks a break from tradition in various ways, as it’s common for young adults to live with their parents into their 20s and, when they do move out, it’s not more than a few minutes away.

And when agricultural jobs aren’t passed down to the next generation, the people who often take those jobs are immigrants, said Cifarelli.

There’s still a strong sense of community that’s evident. Neighbors greet each other with a kiss on the cheek at the cafe that faces the cathedral or at the restaurant a few miles outside of town that serves cuisine of the region, like a specific type of salami or ravioli.

And Voghera is home to an idiom that’s been widely used across the country to describe an everywoman of sorts in political and economic discussions: the Casalinga di Voghera, or housewife of Voghera.

This stereotype, though not exactly complimentary, does have some legitimacy as companies often tested new products in stores in the area to see what housewives liked before distributing them more broadly, Cifarelli explained.

Feels Familiar 

As you might expect of Italy, most buildings are old, and even if they’re not spectacularly old by European standards, they’re probably older than most structures in Wyoming by several centuries.

But change has also come to Voghera.

Given its proximity to Milan and the cost of housing there, some people are choosing to make the daily train commute from Voghera instead — and that’s pushed up the price of housing. 

What’s more, like much of Europe, Italy is grappling with what to do about an influx of immigrants who are coming into the country both legally and illegally.

A few years ago, a member of Italy’s far-right political party shot and killed a Moroccan immigrant, sparking much debate. 

There also are reminders of ways that small-town life transcends cultures in positive ways.

On the day I visited, people were readying for a beer festival that was planned for that evening in the courtyard of one of the churches, with the money raised going to fund repairs at the church.

Several hundred people were expected to turn out to enjoy local beers, pizza, meats, and other food from the area.

That's the kind of event that calls for a “cheers,” or “saluti.”