This year Italy is commemorating the 700th anniversary of the passing of Dante Alighieri, a giant of Italian literature and credited as “father of the Italian language”, who died in 1321 in Ravenna.
Despite the limitations of the coronavirus pandemic, the country is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the life and works of Dante. Events are taking place throughout Italy, particularly in Florence, where the poet was born in 1265, and in Ravenna, where Dante died in exile and was buried in 1321.
Tour – Inferno 5 App
The multimedia installation Inferno 5 is an app for smartphones and tablets available in five languages, offering the spectator an immersive experience of one of Dante’s most memorable passages: Canto V of the Inferno, also dedicated to Paolo e Francesca. To find out more read here.
March 25th National Dante Day
To celebrate the “sommo poeta’, the supreme poet, in 2020, the Italian government declared March 25 as Dantedì, National Dante Day. March 25 was chosen because it is the date scholars put as being the start of the journey to the afterlife in the Divine Comedy.
September 14th – Dante Lives initiative
On Sept. 14, the “Viva Dante” (Dante Lives) initiative will start to have performers perpetually read from “Divine Comedy” around the clock, and the year will close with three special symphonic performances led by maestro Riccardo Muti in Verona, Ravenna, and Florence.
Italy’s museums, galleries and libraries are also offering access to unique works online that tell the story of the life and legacy of Dante. Here some examples.
Rarely Seen Drawings Of The Divine Comedy
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is providing virtual access to a collection of 88 drawings depicting The Divine Comedy, Dante’s most celebrated work and widely hailed as one of the preeminent works of world literature.
Dancers Animated By Dante
In this enchanting video, shot in Florence and directed by Matteo Gazzarri, dancers from Studio Riprese Firenze perform in empty streets, stimulated by the words of Dante.
Casa di Dante
The Casa di Dante has made a virtual tour of its collection. The museum is built on the site where Dante’s childhood home stood during medieval times.
Anno Dantesco Resources
- Dante 2021 and Dante Mania are official national websites
- “Echoes of Dante” – online gallery of Dante-related art from the Uffizi
- Accademia della Crusca
- Viva Dante, Anno Dantesco info for Ravenna
- Dante Alighieri: A Chronology
- Dante’s Walk: Il Cammino di Dante
- How to Read the Divine Comedy If You Don’t Speak Italian
