The city

It has been said that it was La Pira’s experience as mayor that enabled him to develop and fully express his own approach to political commitment. As mayor, he saw the problems that came from actually putting into practice the principles he had developed and debated as a member of the Constituent. He made use of his experience in dealing with social and trade union claims as undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Labour to administering the city; as the person in charge of city life, he performed his tasks with the same sensibility towards the needs of the weak and needy that he had honed during his lengthy experiences in social work.

Although not Florentine by birth La Pira, understood and interpreted the identity and the history of Florence, and brought to the office of mayor the role of guarantor of citizens’ rights – the right to a home, the right to work, the right to peace and so on.

Contrary to what many political journalists had been writing for some time, La Pira was a careful administrator, and in addition to the many of the other measures passed by the city government he presided over there were the bridges over the river Arno, the central dairy, the new municipal theatre and the revitalisation of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the town plan and the construction of 17 new schools, as well as flyovers, underpasses etc..

Click here to access the following pages:

§ Identity of the city

§ The right to a home

§ The right to work

§ The right to peace