Friday 25 March is the third edition of Dantedì, the national day dedicated to Dante Alighieri. The annual event follows on from the 700th anniversary of his death in 2021.
Dante, the mediaeval poet and philosopher – known as the Father of the Italian language – is honoured on 25th March.
March 25th was chosen for Dantedì as scholars give it as the date of the start of the journey to the afterlife in Dante’s epic, The Divine Comedy.
There is a programme of Dante-themed events takes place across Italy on Friday. These include readings and conferences to theatrical productions.
The full 2022 programme of Dantedì events is available on the culture ministry website.
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is a long narrative poem representing a 14th-century vision of the afterlife. It describes Dante’s journey through the realms of the dead: Inferno (hell), Purgatorio (purgatory), and Paradiso (heaven).
Dante began composing the groundbreaking trilogy in or around 1308. He wrote it in the vernacular, opting for the Tuscan dialect. This made is accessible to the masses rather than the traditional Latin reserved for the most educated readers.
