Dante Alighieri was an important linguist, philosopher and political theorist, known as the Supreme Poet. Universally considered the father of the Italian language, Dante reached the height of his fame with the famous Divine Comedy, the greatest work of world literature written in the Italian language.

The poet was nicknamed Sommo because through his work and art, he so profoundly transformed Italian literature and culture that he himself became one of the symbols of theItaly around the world.

In 2020, the Italian state declared March 25 a national day dedicated to the worship of the Supreme Poet Dante Alighieri. This celebration is named Dantedì and the popularization of culture related to the poet is held dear by the city of Naples through interesting initiatives, this year all digital.

Naples' Dantedì to celebrate the Supreme Poet

Naples, like all Italian cities, loves the figure of the Supreme Poet as well as the father of Italian literature, Dante Alighieri. Recently, the figure of Dante has become more and more established in mass culture. During this day, scheduled for March 25, youtube channels (such as that of Mibact), live facebook broadcasts, and TV schedules, such as that of Rai, are dedicated to the poet through readings of his works and treatment by experts and scholars. Interesting initiatives are also those of schools and museums such as the Among the verses of the Poet of Liceo Mazzini in Naples and the virtual preview of the exhibition Divine Archaeology. Mythology and history in Dante's Comedy. at National Archaeological Museum of Naples or even the Museum and Real Bosco di Capodimonte Will quote some verses from the Divine Comedy.

Naples among the travels of Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri was born in Florence presumably on May 29, 1265, at a particular moment in the Florentine political situation. Starting in 1250, in fact, Florence was in the process of becoming one of the most economically powerful Italian cities, led by the bourgeoisie and artisans. It was then that the florin was coined. Politically those years were marked by the struggle between the guelphs, who believed in the temporal authority of the popes, and the ghibellines defenders and supporters of imperial power.

Dante was born during those very years and witnessed the final victory of the Guelphs. These, however, were divided into two factions: the White Guelphs who although they supported papal power did not allow its total interference including economic and governmental affairs of the city and the Black Guelphs who instead supported the full totality of papal power.

In 1925 Dante took part in the guild of doctors, pharmacists and librarians as a poet and sided with the whites. Shortly thereafter, he was elected among the six Priors (the highest magistrates to whom the executive power belonged). In those years he was sent to Naples as ambassador of Charles II of Anjou, who received him among the halls of the imposing Maschio Angioino.

During his stay in Naples, the poet did not fail to fulfill his artistic and cultural "duties." He thus found himself visiting the libraries and main churches of Naples, stopping at the Church of St. Eligius, of San Lorenzo Maggiore and that of San Domenico Maggiore.

Moreover, the poet witnessed the papal election of Boniface VIII. The latter possessed hegemonic tendencies for which Dante, who was a White Guelph, was an inconvenient figure. Thus it was that Boniface summoned the poet to his court in Rome, during the very year in which Charles de Valois rose to power in the city of Florence, supported by the Black Guelphs.

He was accused of corruption, relieved of his political duties and sentenced to death if he returned to Florence, his hometown. For this reason Dante will forever hate the figure of Pope Boniface VIII, who earns a prominent place in the Inferno of Dante's Divine Comedy.

He then returned to Naples where, according to the testimony of some chroniclers of the time, he took to walking around in red and white robes, feeling the influence of the Order of the Templars, who hosted him at their Templar Commandery in the port of Naples and Capua.

Because of his exile Dante wandered through European courts even finding himself in Paris in 1308 to follow the trial against the Templars and finally arrived in Ravenna where he died in 1321.

Naples among Dante's works

Browsing through Dante Alighieri's works, we also find the city of Naples mentioned.

First, in the De Vulgari eloquentia, where the poet makes a comparison between the Neapolitan language and that of the Caetani (the inhabitants of Gaeta) to highlight the linguistic diversity despite the geographical proximity and the same origin.

Naples then, also appears in the Convivio, remembered in connection with the noble Piscicelli family.

Finally, among the verses of the Purgatory of the Divine Comedy, Naples is reported as the poet's burial place Virgil (now included in the lovely Vergilian Park of Piedigrotta), friend and guide in the greatest work of the Supreme Poet.