“Even if we’re breaking down, we can find a way to break through. Even if we can’t find heaven, I’ll walk through Hell with you.” —YouTube
“My First Pumpkin Spice Latte: A Journey”
“Then I waited. For a total of two minutes, I stood at the end of the counter and maintained eye contact with the jug of ‘Pumpkin Spice Flavored Sauce’ that happened to be sitting behind the ledge. ‘Tell me your secrets, magical chalice of spicy pumpkin secretions. What exactly are you?’ I asked the jug with my eyes, like Dante seeking help from Virgil.” –Kelli Bender, “My First Pumpkin Spice Latte: A Journey,” People Magazine
Contributed by Victoria Williams (University of Delaware, ’19)
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
In 2014, the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise released a set of trading cards called “Duelist Alliance.” The set featured characters from The Divine Comedy, including Dante (“Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss“), Virgil (“Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss“), and Malebranche demons like Graff (“Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss“).
Contributed by Ramiro Castillo (University of Texas at Austin, ’17)
Virgilio
Virgilio is a widely used Italian website; it is a search engine and can provide email addresses. Its name, shared with Virgil, is fitting given that the site acts as a ‘guide’ for internet users.
Contributed by Stella Mattioli, University of Virginia ’15
Telecom Company TIM produces Dante ads (2012)
Italian Telecom company TIM produced a series of television ads in 2012 featuring Dante, Virgil, Beatrice, and Lucifer as protagonists.
The trailer below gives a glimpse into the entire series:
For links to the full series of videos on Youtube, click here.
For more on the TIM series, see Delio De Martino, Dante & la pubblicità (Bari: Levante editori, 2013), 193-218.
