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
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39 Reviews
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What an amazing scholar and completely charming human being! We would walk with Martino, or Patty, anytime!
Mary
Mar. 13, 2019
Martino was fantastic. He is extremely knowledgeable. The tour was very good and we some many interesting things that we would have otherwise missed. I think the tour would have even been better if we had a deeper knowledge of Dante prior to the tour. I suspect Martino would have been able to get much deeper into Dante’s time in Florence.
Robert l.
Jul. 1, 2018
Our tour guide, Molly, was so great to work with. She was professional but also personable. She began by taking time to get to know us and understand our already existing knowledge of Dante. She then tailored her tour information to fit our needs/already existing knowledge. WOW! All throughout the tour, she offered insight that was both keen and articulate. She also never had a problem with us asking questions along the way. At the end of the tour, she treated us to coffee and read Dante to us in Italian!! Getting to dive in and discuss the actual text of Dante was the icing on the cake! What a fun and unexpected treat!! Even once the tour was official over, Molly offered us some helpful tips for exploring the rest of the city and ways to further our exploration of Dante while there. All around, Molly was top notch. We would very very much appreciate it if you could let her know how thoroughly we enjoyed her and the tour she provided us with. We were so looking forward to this tour and it was an absolute highlight!
Hannah
Apr. 25, 2016
