Tour Details
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Product Type
- Tour
- Venues
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- Dante's House
- Baptistery of St. John
- Palazzo dell'Arte della Lana
Photos & Highlights
- Dante Tour in Florence explores Dante's life and work within the historical, social, cultural, and political context of Florence
- Led by an Italian literature scholar
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Tour Description
Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 A.D. He is widely accepted as the first author to write in the everyday vernacular that soon evolved into modern Italian, as well as credited with the creation of Italy's most enduring literary work, The Divine Comedy. Comprised of three separate canticles, the poem details a journey in the afterlife through L'inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise), and is as much a historical chronicle as it is a literary achievement. Written entirely after Dante's 1302 exile from the city, The Divine Comedy is a window into nearly every aspect of medieval history, theology, politics, art, and culture; in particular, as it relates to Florence. During this three hour Dante tour in Florence, led by a scholar, we will follow Dante's path through the city, exploring the places and characters that inspired his masterpiece—and, by extension explore both the life of Dante Alighieri as a historical figure and The Divine Comedy as a work of fiction where Florence as a city plays a central role.
Dante Tour Florence
We begin with a discussion of the Baptistery where Dante himself was baptized and where he later drew inspiration for L'inferno, drawing from the building's biblical mosaics depicting the Last Judgment. We will move from here to Dante's neighborhood, deep in the heart of medieval Florence, where we will find the exterior of Dante's home as well as his local church. It was at the church that he first encountered Beatrice, his beloved muse and spiritual guide for whom he wrote The Divine Comedy.
Please Note: As of recently the dome of the Baptistery is under restoration so the mosaics can't fully be seen. The rest of the structure is visitable, though there is a large scaffolding in the centre of the baptistery. Unfortunately, this restoration is said to take several years.
Please Note: As of recently the dome of the Baptistery is under restoration so the mosaics can't fully be seen. The rest of the structure is visitable, though there is a large scaffolding in the centre of the baptistery. Unfortunately, this restoration is said to take several years.
Then and Now
Along the way, we will see where Dante's enemies lived and explore the innumerable tucked away locations important to Dante's story: corners, side streets, and piazzas where many of his characters came to life. We will also visit Palazzo dell'Arte della Lana, important during Dante's time, as the location of the Wool Guild, but which today serves as The Dante Society meeting place, as well as the Dante Library where scholars from around the world come to continue to study his legendary poem.
Looking to explore the life of another distinguished Florentine? Discover the life of Michelangelo on our Accademia Gallery Tour. For those more interested in visual art, try our Uffizi Gallery Tour.
Where You'll Start
39 Reviews
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Excellent tour. Martino brought the era of Dante alive.
Maurice
Oct. 10, 2022
Kristin was great and just what I was looking for. The other tours seemed to focus on Dan Brown, and I wanted a true Dante scholar, a tour that wasn't distorted by 20th century pop fiction. She was knowledgable, funny, and very informative and challenged many ideas in the criticism and in my head. I learned so much that I feel I have to come back to Florence and spend more time in the areas she pointed out. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants a serious study in the world of Dante. It was expensive but totally worth it. Money well spent for a bucket list opportunity.
Jeff
Aug. 21, 2019
Our guide started the trip by saying there isn’t much of Dante in Florence. He didn’t seem an expert on Dante, or enthusiastic on the topic, and so I feel it was not worth the large amount paid for a private tour. I feel I could have learned the same amount from a lower cost tour group leader. We had to even correct him on something he pointed out. Your competitors train their tour guides pretty well. We were looking for an expert on Dante, where did he live (which we got from guide), what was life like, how did the city treat him during his life, what happened to his family when he was condemned and after? Where are the statues of him around the city? Why is it there? Why are there quotes around the town on side of buildings. Guide didn’t tell us there is a Dante society right next to grain market/church. Would be great if told us was a way to participate with this society. He didn’t tell us about Santa Croce church. I was underwhelmed by the whole experience, by the private tour. The guide didn’t prepare well. He is clearly knowledgeable and a PhD. Maybe he could have emailed and asked more questions about our interests and questions we might have. After all it is a private tour.
Leny
Jun. 8, 2019
