It may seem incredible, but it really happened: the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella hosted us at the Quirinale. On the occasion of 80 years since the Constituent Assemblywhich occur precisely in this 2026, we decided to turn to the highest office of the State to reflect on one of the pillars of our country: theArticle 1 of the Constitution. We had the honor of asking the President a direct question, one that closely affects the new generations and our way of understanding the delicate balance between personal life and profession.
Article 1 of the Italian Constitution: Italy is a democratic Republic, founded on work. Sovereignty belongs to the people, who exercises it in the forms and limits of the Constitution.
In these few lines, the founding fathers established the fundamental values of our society. Work as the driving force of societythe Constitution places work as an indispensable tool for personal fulfillment. It is through work that each of us can grow, express our talent and contribute to the progress of the entire community. The Constituents knew well how much time we dedicate to our profession and for this reason they made it the founding pillar of the State.
The second paragraph defines the democratic principle par excellence: the power belongs to the citizens. Sovereignty, however, is not absolute, but must move within the “limits of the Constitution”. It means that, in a true democracy, not even an absolute majority of citizens could absurdly decide to abolish taxes or invade another state, because there are untouchable rights, duties and counterweights. Furthermore, we almost never exercise this sovereignty directly, but we entrust it to our elected representatives in Parliament.
In summary, Article 1 establishes the “compass” of general values. And it is precisely starting from this vision of work that our application for the Head of State was born.
Good morning President, and first of all thank you very much for having us. Let me introduce myself: I am Maria Bosco, mathematician and science communicator for Geopop. The question we thought we’d ask you is: as we know, article one of our Constitution tells us that Italy is a Republic founded on work. What would you respond to a guy who says “I don’t want to live to work, I want to work to live”? Do you find this a sentence in conflict with the first article of our Constitution?
«First of all, thank you for being here and for these requests you are making me. There is no conflict, because Article 1 does not invite people to live to work. On the contrary: that is the condition that the Constitution has removed and excluded, that of social classes destined to have only the task of working hard for the benefit of others, called to a privileged life.
The constituent who drafted the definitive text of that article then expressed it effectively. With these words: by saying that the Republic is founded on work, we exclude the possibility that it can be founded on privilege, on hereditary nobility, on the hard work of others. The Constitution indicates that the Republic is founded on the dignity of work, seen as a factor of liberation, of personal fulfillment and of its contribution to common life.
However, today a new risk appears: that of the creation, on a global level, of a society in which wealth is concentrated in a few hundred hands and, on the other hand, many millions of people who depend on the commercial interests of these large financial entities. A vision of society that would deny the free and autonomous value of work.
Work is a vehicle for well-being which includes other values: affection, friendship, culture, sport, socialisation, social and political commitment, the protection and promotion of health and the environment. This is actually the fabric made up of the rules that we read in the articles of the Constitution. That is to say the full and free development of the human person.”
Hearing these words directly from the voice of the President of the Republic was an indescribable emotion for us, a moment that will forever remain imprinted in the history of Geopop. For this, we want to thank President Sergio Mattarella for dedicating his time to us and for his extraordinary clarity. Thanks also go to all the Quirinale staff, who welcomed us and made this beautiful undertaking possible.
