A father’s letters to his daughter

Sandro Pertini

It was 1980. Sandro Pertini, President of the Italian Republic, had travelled to Urbino to meet with a group of university students. At one point, a young man heckled him. Pertini didn’t flinch. He had known censorship, the real kind, first-hand, and had paid for it with prison and internal exile. He took the floor. He restated his position. And then he did the most extraordinary thing of all: he defended that young man’s right to challenge him, reminding him that being able

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Earlier letters

It was nothing

A fear, a doubt, something that feels bigger than you. It happens to everyone, more often than you think. Some days, even a small problem looks like a mountain. You lose your breath, wondering if you’ll make it, if you’re taking the wrong path. Then, with time, things settle. And you find yourself saying, almost smiling: “It was nothing.” Most fears are like that — false alarms. They speak loudly at first, then fade the moment you truly look at them. They’re clouds passing by

Oct 18, 20251 min read

The Child from Mali

In President Mattarella’s office, there hangs a drawing, a simple vignette. It shows a boy sitting at the bottom of the sea, reading a book. It was inspired by a true story. The story of a small body found on a Mediterranean shore. That body was brought to Milan, to a special laboratory that tries to give a name to these poor, nameless remains. It arrived in a small bag. From its weight, they understood it was a child. He was a 14-year-old boy from Mali, who died in the Medit

Oct 9, 20252 min read

Keep Going

Sometimes what you wish for may seem far away, almost out of reach. You might think the chances are small. But if, when you think about it, you feel something light up inside you; then it’s worth trying. Hold on to that feeling. Protect it, because you don’t need to know how things will go. It' s enough to take the next step. One small move that brings you a little closer to your dream. Listen, learn, change direction if you need to.Little by little, everything will start to

Oct 5, 20251 min read

Beyond our time

The construction of Notre-Dame Cathedral began in 1163 and took almost two centuries to complete, finally ending in 1345. Think of the men and women who built it: one stone each day, one small step at a time, knowing they would never see the finished work. Yet they kept going, with patience and pride, because in their minds the image was already alive. They knew they were building something that mattered. Cathedrals carry a silent majesty. They were born from an ambition grea

Oct 5, 20251 min read

Friendship

A park bench, an unexpected laugh, a coffee shared, a message arriving at just the right moment. Friendship lives in these simple gestures that may seem small, yet leave a lasting mark. It is the certainty of having someone by your side, with no masks and no effort. It doesn’t need solemn promises, only presence, listening, that light thread that makes you feel free and understood. Friendship grows when you nurture it, and it knows how to endure both time and distance. Letter

Sep 13, 20251 min read