Abstract

Lorenzo Milani, who was born into a very wealthy and cultured family, had all the means to study and understand reality and soon he also began to understand its characteristic contradictions. After his conversion to Christianity and his ordination to the priesthood, by means of his sharp and radical use of critical reason, he put himself at the service of the poors and of those who were last ones. For his «troublesome» positions, he was confined to the small and remote parish of Barbiana. But the School of Barbiana, founded by him, from its isolated position send to the world a message: the poor shall master the language and acquire culture, both instruments of emancipation. He put his personal intelligence at the disposal of others to foster their growth, their human and political awareness. In spite of their differences, there are clear similarities between Milani’s and Ernesto Balducci’s paths. Even after decades, their messages reach us and invite us to reflect on the relevance of their lesson.