Dante House
Dante House is situated on a corner and is located very close to the Church of Danta.
This isn’t the actual house Dante lived in. It was reconstructed and is in the area where he lived. Dante’s history is retold in this museum. Dante Alighieri is the great poet, writer the father of the Italian language. He was the member of one of the best families in Florence. He was born around the end of May or early June 1265.
The house is very charming from the outside. It is a museum housed on three floors of the house of the poet. It shows some ancient relic a few copies of the Divine Comedy. There are several descriptions and pictures about the Guelphs and the Ghibellines and their battles. One area is dedicated to the relationship with Beatrice.
The first floor shows some of the features of 13th century Florence. It shows Dante’s youth and on his participation in politics and the military.
On the second floor you will see stuff relating to his heartbreaking exile of 1301, the year of his condemnation. He chose to spend his last years at Ravenna where we would die (1321) in the home of Guido da Polenta.
The third floor there is a collection of terrific reproductions of works of art painted by important artists. It included artists like Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo, Raphael and many others.
Dante is responsible for the spoken language of Italian. Before he started to write all writings were in Latin. And before unification of Italy there were many dialects. Dante wrote for the masses in Italian and thus the written Italian language was born.
Dante House is a bit small but is an interesting museum where you can discover the life of a citizen of Florence in past centuries. While unlike other museums in Florence where you find art, here you get to experience the Florence of Dante’s time. I found the story to be magnificent. I recommend visiting while in Florence. The tour takes about an hour.
Phone number: +39 055 218402
Oct – Mar:
Tue – Sun: 10 am – 5 pm
Apr – Sep:
Daily: 10 am – 6 pm
Address: Via Santa Margherita 1, Florence, Italy
The ticket costs is 4 Euro.
