'Love what you do, and do what you love'. - These were the words of Proferor Sante Graciotti (1923-2021), Italian historian, philologist and Slavic language scholar at the Sapienza University of Rome, Doctor honoris causa of the Universities: Jagiellonian University of Krakow, Wroclaw and Warsaw, decorated with the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his outstanding merits in the development of Polish-Italian cultural and scientific cooperation and for his activity in the dissemination of Polish culture. These words that became the focal point of the interview line of the interview, by the same title. The interview was conducted by Professor Luigi Marinelli, an Italian scholar, Polish philologist and Slavist affiliated with the Sapienza University of Rome. He received an honorary doctorate from the Jagiellonian University of Cracow and is an honorary member of the Adam Mickiewicz Literary Society and a foreign member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences.

This interview was dedicated to the development of Polish studies at the Sapienza University of Rome and was an important item on the agenda of the conference, celebrating 90 years since the foundation of the I Chair of Polish Language and Literature in Italy created in the a.y. 1929-30 by Giovanni Maver, entitled "Knowledge and Friendship. 90 years of Polish language studies at "La Sapienza", which took place in December 2019 in the premises of the Department of European, American and Intercultural Studies of Sapienza University of Rome.

This event was not only celebratory, but also brought together scholars of various languages and cultures and Polonists, both Italian and Polish, whose research presented on that occasion was later published in two books.

"Quo vadis polonistica? Balances and perspectives of Polish studies in Italy (1929-2019)",

"The Esau Complex. Languages, Cultures, Literatures 'Minor' and Major?",

"Catalogue of the Exhibition: Knowledge and Friendship. 90 years of Polish Studies at the "Sapienza".

To the question of whether it is worthwhile and what is the point of studying Polish Studies today, Professor Sante Gacotti answers that it is not a course more important than others, but just as important, a need like other languages, without which European culture would not be complete.