Florence, January 21, 2026 – 11:00 a.m.
GIUBBE ROSSE LITERARY CAFÉ
Piazza della Repubblica
EMPATHISM – INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
11th EDITION – Cilento international Poetry Prize
Curated by Menotti Lerro and Massimo Orsini
– https://www.cilentopoesia.it/en/
At the historic Giubbe Rosse Literary Café in Florence, under the patronage of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Centro Contemporaneo delle Arti, Cilento International Poetry Prize and the Fondazione Movimento Bambino, the International Conference marking the opening of the Second Phase (from 2026 onwards) of the Empathic literary, artistic, philosophical and cultural movement will take place.
This event represents a pivotal moment for a movement that originated in Italy and has rapidly spread on an international scale. Its development may be schematically divided into three fundamental phases:
– 2000–2020: Pre-Empatism (including the New Manifesto on the Arts, 2019)
– 2020–2025: Total Art
– 2026 onwards: Total Empathy
In this new phase, interdisciplinary dialogue opens up to further reflection: empathy is no longer directed solely toward the Other, but also toward the environment, technology, and every possible aspect of the universe. This transition is symbolically celebrated in the Florentine literary café that once served as a crossroads for the avant-gardes of the twentieth century.
The meeting will be moderated by the founder of the movement, Menotti Lerro. Participants will include some of the leading figures of Empathism: Mateen Ashraf, Xhovalin Delia, Francesco D’Episcopo, Omar Galliani, Gabriella Giovannozzi, Maria Antonietta Gulino, Tomasz Krezymon, Massimo Orsini, Maria Rita Parsi, Antonello Pelliccia, Vincenzo Pepe, Mario Pirovano, Vittorio Santoianni, Santino Scarpa, Lino Vairetti.
Among the central themes, articulated through the 32 Empatist Theses, are: the return of the artist as a cultural and spiritual guide; the struggle against widespread narcissism; the reunification of the arts; the technique of the Empathic Correlative; the transition from the lyrical self to the porous self; the rejection of the Western logical-rationalistic model in favor of a new humanism, one that is also contributing to territorial elevation.
CILENTO INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE – 11th EDITION
During the event, the Cilento Poetry International Prize will be awarded to: the poet Roberto Deidier; the musician Santino Scarpa (Gulliver).