Researching the places where Dante was born and lived has always revolved around an imaginary centre of gravity: an old fig tree planted by the poet’s ancestor Alighiero near the Romanesque Church of San Martino. Just as P.

Bargellini imagined the newborn Dante swinging in his cradle in the shade of such tree, Dante himself employed the image of the sweet fig tree in his Comedy: a metaphor for ideal Florentine virtues contrasting with the establishment of his time, as rough as the rock from which it came. Indeed, it was a member of the Sacchetti family that had Geri di Bello Alighieri murdered for political gains – a family originating from rocky Fiesole.

The great fig tree no longer protected Dante’s youth. Lapo, Francesco…the balance of the district was now upset.

These and other events – as curious as they are dramatic – are fundamental in researching the places of Dante’s lifein Florence: the gardens in between the Churches of San Martino and Santa Margherita, the shady alleys behind Badia Fiorentina, the towers of the Cerchi and Donati families. Based on the script of a video documentary and conceived as a guide, the aim of this book is to provide a reference for the readers to immerse themselves in not just a place – but in the history of a complex and fascinating quest whose knots were untied about a century ago, and which still echoes in our souls as of today.

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