In 2012, in the aftermath of the great financial crisis, together with a couple of friends, as expats wanting to do something for our home country – Italy, we approached the Italian President and Government with a simple letter proposing an idea:
establishing a Happiness Day in the national calendar.

A day to celebrate being together, create positive connections with others and positive actions for society, no matter how small.

In a country surrounded by negativity and self-interest, it was our attempt to involve the nation in reigniting positive feelings between each other and act towards the common good during the economic downturn.

The letter was picked up by the news, as the President and Government praised the initiative, which went further. Coincidentally, the United Nations were working on a similar project at the time. As a result, on 28th June 2012 the ‘International Happiness Day’ was founded, which is now celebrated worldwide on 20th March each year.

Whether our letter had been of inspiration, or just added something to a flow in process, it’s great to know that our intention contributed to acknowledging such a day.