On occasion of World Philosophy Day, New Acropolis was sponsored by the City Council of Bologna-Porto Saragozza District, for the philosophical dialogue inspired by different forms of expression such as art, literature, poetry. and music, encouraging participants to reflect together around the question: “What kind of friendship do we cultivate in life?”

Starting from the allegory on Friendship, participants followed the traces left by Epicurus and Aristotle, Plutarch and Cicero, passing from Giacomo Leopardi and Antoine de Saint-Exupery, to the most recent Jorge Luis Borges, Zygmunt Bauman and Umberto Galimberti.

When asked “What are you willing to donate to a friend?” many responded time, their presence and availability in a variety of ways: listening, understanding, supporting and even helping in material terms. Friendship is therefore a useful tool for what the ancients called “the exercise of virtues”, a way of educating individuals in the practice of generosity.