25/03/2021
March 25th is an especially significant day for Florence. Not only is it the Capodanno Fiorentino, the day traditionally celebrated as the start of the new year in Florence until 1749, but it is also Dantedi, a day designated for the celebration of Italy’s sommo poeta. This year also marks the 700th year since Dante’s death, but his presence is still very much felt in his native city, the place that could in many ways be said to be the source of Dante’s greatest joys and his most bitter defeats. Dante died in exile in Ravenna, where his body still rests to this day, but the Florentines have advocated for his returns since the 15th century. Now, a 19th-century monument in Santa Croce stands as a testament to the father of the Italian language, where a brooding (and fit!) Dante sits above the female personifications of Italy and poetry, who weep for his lost brilliance.
