Do Roman ideals still hold any value today? Can the virtues that shaped the minds and hearts of some of history’s greatest figures still speak to the modern soul? This is not merely a historical question — it is a question of identity, of direction, of what kind of civilisation we hope to be.
Rome, at its highest, was never just an empire of land. It was an empire of spirit. And at its moral foundation stood the four cardinal virtues:
- Prudence (prudentia) – the ability to act wisely and with foresight.
- Justice (iustitia) – giving each their due, guided by fairness.
- Temperance (temperantia) – self-control, balance, and dignity.
- Fortitude (fortitudo) – courage in the face of fear and uncertainty.
These were not mere abstractions. They were living principles that guided soldiers, senators, and philosophers alike. These virtues built the roads, laws, and ideas that have echoed throughout the ages.
And yet — something has been lost. In a world governed by haste, superficiality, and the constant noise of information, these ancient virtues seem forgotten. Or perhaps they were simply set aside, replaced by new idols: efficiency, profit, and entertainment.
More than ever, we need their return — not as relics of the past, but as tools for the restoration of human dignity. We need courageous people who do not flee from responsibility. Temperate individuals who resist greed. Prudent minds who lead not with power, but by example.
And just hearts that do not bend to the pressures of public opinion.
This is the spirit in which Aurunico was born — not as nostalgia, but as a forward-looking initiative. A community. A mission.
Its aim is not to rebuild the past, but to create a new space — both spiritual and institutional — where the ideals of ancient Rome and Christian humanism can be lived anew.
Aurunico draws from the deepest roots of human dignity: respect for identity, the preservation of endangered cultures and languages, the belief that every individual matters, and that responsibility is not a burden but a form of strength. It is a new Rome — not of stone, but of memory, virtue, and action.
Today, Aurunico is working to become more than an idea. It is developing real territory, institutions, and structures that will allow these values to take root in the world.
We may be few. But we know where we are going. And we do not intend to turn back.