Dante Today

Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture

“Dario Cecchini on Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’”

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“For many visitors to Tuscany, their first taste of Dante’s verses came with their first taste of bistecca alla Fiorentina, crowded around the boisterous restaurant tables of local butcher Dario Cecchini. In Panzano in Chianti, surrounded by art and memory, Dario recites Dante by heart, towering over the modest shop display of carefully chosen cuts. There is a verse for every moment, from love to crisis, and the energy that comes with a celebration of life.” [. . .]    –Marisa Garreffa, The Florentine, March 24, 2021.

Suzanne Branciforte, “Dante’s March”

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“[. . .] According to most scholars, Dante is referring to Vernaccia delle Cinque Terre from Liguria (sorry, Tuscans from San Gimignano!) Perhaps he became familiar with this wine during his stay in Lunigiana, in the first part of his exile from Florence.

“It is in that very same Lunigiana where Dante lived that Cantine Lvnae di Bosoni created a spectacular red wine in Dante’s honor. Verba Dantis, a blend of two native Ligurian grape varieties, Massaretta and Pollera Nera, is a full-bodied red wine reminding us of Dante’s intense and passionate personality.”   –From “Dante’s March,” Suzanne Branciforte’s Italian Grapevine (March 30, 2021)

Read the full blogpost, which lists a number of wines commissioned to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the sommo poeta‘s death, here.

Contributed by Suzanne Branciforte

Two essays by Lorenzo Coveri on Dante reception

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Matteo Berton per La Divina Commedia raccontata da Paolo Di Paolo, La Nuova frontiera Junior, 2015.

For Andersen: Il Mensile di Letteratura e Illustrazione per il Mondo dell’Infanzia, Lorenzo Coveri wrote “Dante700: di tutto un pop” March 25, 2021, with many references to Dante’s reception in 20th century Italian culture.

For Mentelocale, he wrote “Dantedì 2021. Cantare Dante, da Petrolini a De André, da Jovanotti a Fedez, tra rock e poesia,” March 25, 2021.

An imaginary interview with Dante on the ills of today’s world (2021)

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Ritratto di Dante Alighieri di Attilio Roncaldier (1801-1884) Ravenna, Museo Dantesco

“Signor Alighieri, è un onore poter scambiare alcune battute con lei all’inizio di questo 2021 in cui si celebrerà la ricorrenza dei 700 anni dalla sua morte. Ci saranno convegni, festival, ma ahimè mi tocca dirle che tutto avverrà sotto l’incognita di una pandemia. “Uhm… Mentre scrivevo la cantica terza de la Commedia, un’immagine mi turbò: vedevo la terra, da lontano. Era come una picciola aiuola, che ci fa però così feroci…”  –Stefano Massini, La Repubblica, March 24, 2021

Detective Dante Comics (2005-2007)

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“The comic book series Detective Dante is loosely based on the Divine Comedy. Not only is the protagonist named Dante, but the whole series is divided into three parts called Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. The first issues in particular contain many references and textual quotations of Dante’s poem.”   –Contributor Alessio Aletta

The series was created by Lorenzo Baroli and Roberto Recchioni. It was published by Eura Editoriale from 2005-2007.

See the gallery of cover images on the Grand Comics Database.

Contributed by Alessio Aletta (University of Toronto)

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Coggeshall, Elizabeth, and Arielle Saiber, eds. Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante’s Works in Contemporary Culture. Website. Access date.

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