Flushing poet Vincent J. Tomeo has given Monterosso Calabro – the bucolic, rustic town that inspired his most acclaimed poem “A View from a Tower in Calabria, Italy” — a place in the sun. After his trip to that quiet corner of the world back in April 2015, Tomeo’s host and friend Antonio Parisi, a well-known patron of the arts, told him he had been so moved by his verse that he decided to have it engraved in marble and mounted at his Agriturismo Villa Velia for the townspeople to admire. The well-traveled poet had stayed at the villa and climbed up to the tower overlooking the sea, where he was inspired by the vista to write the poem.

That unusual set of circumstances made headlines in Italy, and the award-winning bard, who has 746 published poems and essays under his belt, was recently honored during a festive ribbon-cutting ceremony, unveiling, and poetry-reading event at the villa. It was hosted by Parisi and attended by other dignitaries and locals as well as the Italian press and mayor’s office. After all, it isn’t every day that an American poet from the World’s Borough gets a big thumbs-up from a historic Italian city that appreciates his unique talent.