Finding Dante in Florence: A Walking Tour, Florence, Italy

I became interested in Dante years ago when I lived in Florence. I had the good fortune to live in his old neighborhood and walk the same streets that he had walked. I developed an attachment to the Great Poet and the places he inhabited. Every time I go back, I visit these Dante sites. I hope you’ll enjoy them too.

In 1265, Dante Alighieri was born in Florence. He was a poet, and one of the first to write in the language of the people instead of Latin. Because of this, he’s known as the Father of the Italian Language as well as the Supreme Poet.

When he wasn’t writing poetry, Dante was a soldier and a politician. But politics got him into trouble when he found himself on the losing side.

In those days there were two political factions in Florence: The White Guelfs, who wanted the Pope to have a bit less power, and the Black Guelfs, who wanted to give him full authority.

Dante was a White Guelf, and in 1301, when he was 36, he was part of a delegation sent to Rome to find out what the Pope’s intentions were. But while they were away, the Black Guelfs invaded Florence and all White Guelfs were banned from the city.

So Dante was banned from Florence for two years. After two years they said he could come back… if he would apologize and pay a fine. He flatly refused, claiming that he had done no wrong, so the ban was extended to his lifetime. If he should ever dare to show his face in Florence, he would be burned at the stake! ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).