Bologna awards Romano Prodi a cultural honor, the Golden Archiginnasio

Bologna celebrated Romano Prodi: the professor was awarded the golden Archiginnasio, the city’s highest cultural honour. In a covered square of the Salaborsa, the library overlooking Piazza Maggiore, crowded with friends, colleagues from the University, representatives of the political world and many circles of the city that Prodi met since he visited there at the beginning of the sixties is transferred, after the speech entrusted to the French politician Sylvie Goulard, his collaborator at the time of the European Commission, Prodi received the Archiginnasio from the hands of the mayor Matteo Lepore and gave a speech on his bond with the city

He dedicated the award to his wife

With a particular dedication: “Whoever you want me to dedicate it to – he said at the end of the ceremony speaking to reporters – I dedicate it to my wife”. Flavia Franzoni, who died recently, was remembered several times during the morning.

A vote discussed for a long time

There was a split in the city council over the proposal, put forward by the mayor Matteo Lepore, to award the former prime minister the golden Archiginnasio. In the end the vote ended with 28 in favour: only five councilors of Fratelli d’Italia voted against, while the three group leaders of Lega, Forza Italia and Bologna left the room, we like it.

The mayor’s motivations

In the Chamber, before the vote, the mayor had “called” the opposition to agree to the resolution, underlining the European profile of Professor Prodi, “a source of pride for our entire city. And thanks to the European culture he brought from president of the EU commission has made Bologna a better city”. The mayor, in recalling the importance of this honor which is given under the Two Towers to personalities of culture and science, wanted to recall the value of the former prime minister’s profile which goes “beyond political barriers”.