Three cities, separated by time and space, yet united by a name and shared ideals: Philadelphia. The first, founded by Ptolemy II in Egypt in the 3rd century BC, was located in what is now known as Darb Geze. Excavations in 1908 uncovered papyri, documents, and images revealing a city organized on a grid of streets aligned with the cardinal points—an urban harmony that surprisingly echoes in modern Philadelphia in the United States and in Italian Filadelfia, in the province of Vibo Valentia, once home to a temple dedicated to Hercules.
Philadelphia in the United States, founded in 1682, reflects the same ideals of justice and community that animated the Egyptian city. It was here that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, tangible symbols of freedom and political identity. This city, like its Egyptian counterpart, also represented a meeting point for those seeking new opportunities during the Great Migration.
The Italian Filadelfia, situated on the Gorna plain near the Angitola, follows the same urban layout as its older sisters, embodying principles of order, harmony, and communal life.
Three Philadelphias, three very different stories, yet all converging on universal values: fraternity, equality, and liberty. An invisible thread that spans millennia and continents, reminding us how democratic culture and the idea of community can travel and transform while remaining true to their original spirit.