Dante Alighieri - Verona Tuttintorno

Municipality of Verona
Piazza Brà 1 – 37121 Verona
Tel. 045 8077774 – fax 045 8077239
www.comune.verona.it - turismo@comune.
verona.it
The Dante Alighieri Society – Verona Committee
c/o The Public Library – Via Cappello
www.ladanteverona.it - info@ladanteverona.it
Guided tour and written text by
Anna Lerario at Video Cinema
For guided tours
Verona Tuttintorno Consortium
Largo Caldera, 11 – 37122 Verona
Tel. 045 8009461 – fax 045 8013142
www.veronatuttintorno.it - info@veronatuttintorno.it
Dante Alighieri
Photographs: Brenzoni – Perbellini, Federico Padovani.
Domenico Zugliani
Graphic work and Make up Roberto Vassanelli
in Verona
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Only Verona could have been Dante Alighieri’s ‘first refuge and first hostel’ after having been hounded from Florence in
1302 (Paradise, canto XVII, v.70). Verona was perfect for him as an exile and as a poet. With the Scaligeran Lordship, and
especially with Cangrande della Scala (1291-1329), at the height of his power the city became a primary cultural attraction in Italy, famed for being a city-of-refuge for the numerous exiles from the struggles between the varying factions.
The young Scaligeran Lord welcomed the ‘fugitive Ghibelline’ with the fitting hospitality of an illuminated prince and with
the generosity of a patron of the arts, anticipating by a century that spirit which brought honour to the Italian families
of the Rennaissance.
Dante spent roughly seven years in Verona in all: from 1303 to 1304, guest of Bartolomeo della Scala, Cangrande’s brother, and from 1312 to 1318 as Cangrande’s own guest.
He effectively spent almost half the years of his exile in Verona. Here, under the shadow of the Scaligeran crest adorned
with the wings of the Imperial eagle, Dante wrote his ‘De Monarchia’, many letters and a good part of ‘Paradise’, the
canticle which the distinguished poet dedicated to Cangrande himself, awarding him a place of honour in the prophesy
of the XVII canto. It was here that his ‘Comedy’ became known; here where he studied the ancient texts conserved in the
cathedral’s Capitular Library; here he contemplated the Roman ruins, dreaming of a new Emperor who would bring peace
and justice. And it was here, in the end where he aided the endeavours of the only prince capable of bringing peace to
northern Italy after the failure of the emperors beyond the Alps.
1st Stop – San Fermo
When Dante arrived the city was a huge building site, seething with ferment and novelty. The Franciscan
friars were busy re-modernising the church of San Fermo so as to give it a form that was more consistent with their spiritual vision. It’s easy to think that Dante, who loved Saint Francis went there often
to watch and appreciate the Master craftsmen at their work. The new Gothic church, with its single wide
and luminous chamber, would have expressed the essentially joyful lifestyle of the mendicant order:
from the halting entrance where ones’ steps are slowed by the underlying Romanic church subdivided
into naves, to where it opens out, making one feel like breaking into a run across a field. Much like the
Scaligera family who also favoured the Franciscans, Dante sympathised with and subscribed to this
change: never before had the Church had such a need for purification so as to get back to being humanity’s spiritual guide. It is no coincidence that Dante’s descendants chose this church to house their
sepulchre, still situated today to the right of the transept in the Alighieri chapel.
2nd Stop – Porta dei Leoni (Leoni Gate)
San Fermo lies at the beginning of the ‘cardine massimo’ (now Via Leoni and Via Cappello), the old Roman road, which, together with the ‘decumano massimo’ had divided the
ancient city into quarters. Continuing along this road you soon reach the ancient Roman
gate called the ‘Lion’s’ Gate. Many, many remains of its Roman past have been conserved
here in Verona thanks to the mighty belt of the city walls which kept out the worst of the
barbarian invaders: in no other northern Italian city would Dante have been able to see
the spirit of Ancient Rome translated so well into stone. In Verona his political dream was
concrete and visible in an architecture that conveyed values of solidarity and civility.
The overall structure of the city revealed the Ancient Romans’ vision as well: a harmonic and grandiose basic planning that was perfectly complemented by the hill of San Pietro transformed into a magnificent and
spectacular backdrop thanks to the superb theatre (the present Roman Theatre) and the temple above.
3rd Stop – Juliet’s House
“Come see the Capulets and Montagues, /The Philippeschi and Monaldi! Man /Who car’st for nought! those
sunk in grief, and these / With dire suspicion rack’d.”: In this triplet from Purgatory (canto VI, v106 – 108),
Dante is inviting Alberto, the Austrian Emperor to come and see the disheartening condition into which Italy
had sunk. And it is Verona that he describes, bloodied from the constant battles between the Montagues
and their opponents. In front of the entrance to Juliet’s house the dream ends and Dante’s luminous vision
is obscured. You can almost hear the cries of those Veronese citizens from the height of this tower who, in
1200, fought against other townsfolk until the Scaligeran rulers, and especially Alberto della Scala, Cangrande’s father put an end to the civic strife. And this is not a legend: this was the area of the city belonging to the
Counts of San Bonifacio, the Montagues’ long-standing enemies. Perhaps Juliet is an imaginary heroine, but
the fortified towered house in Via Cappello 23 really did belong to a rival family of the Montecchi – a house
that at least from 1300 onwards belonged to the “Cappello” family whose factions – who knows? – might
have been called the “Capulets”...
4th Stop – The Montague (Montecchi) Quarter
This neighbourhood beside the Ponte Nuovo (New Bridge) was controlled by the Montecchi family who
were important players both in legend and in actual historical documentation of the factional battles that
bloodied the streets of Verona throughout 1200. To get there you have to cross the present-day Piazza
delle Poste (Post-office Square) with its botanical gardens, which were once part of the Scaligero palaces. It was Cansignorio, in the mid 1300’s, who expanded Alberto’s existing palace southwards, where
it is still visible. Consequently, both Romeo and Juliet’s dwellings were completely separate from the
residences of the Lords of Verona. Thus, for Dante these houses represented the present-day of his time
– that terrible reality to which he himself had fallen victim when his own opponent faction had hounded
him from Florence. In fact exactly the same thing happened to Romeo who was exiled from Verona after
having killed Tibault, as Luigi Da Porto told in his original version of the famous story that was immortalised at the end of that century by William Shakespeare.
5th Stop – Cangrande’s Palace and the Scaligeran Sarcophaghi
Leaving the settings that for Dante represented the sad reality of his present-day circumstances, we come
closer to the places that represented hope in the future instead: the streets lined by the Scaligeran palaces
(nowadays not open to visitors).
Dante died before the “Scaligeran Sarcophagi” – an extraordinary example of ornate Northern Gothic workmanship was built during the 1330’s. However it is certain that he visited Cangrande’s palace where artists, scientists and political refugees hobnobbed together just as Dante’s friend and poet Manoello Giudeo
described: “Barons and marquises from every nation/ gentlemanly and courteous we see them arrive; /
here of astrology and of philosophy/and there theology you may hear them discuss.” It is very likely that
Dante himself lived in this palace because the Prince kept rooms for every category of guests (knights,
artists, merchants...). He certainly ate here many times exchanging wise and witty repartee with the Scaligeran lord. Dante undoubtedly prayed in the church of Santa Maria Antica which was the Scaligeras’ private
temple housing the famous vaulted cemetery, as he dreamt of justice for himself and for the world... Cangrande is immortalised in the XVII canto of the Divine Comedy (V.85-87): “So recognized shall his magnificence / Become hereafter, that his enemies / Will not have power to keep mute tongues about it.”
6th Stop – Piazza dei Signori (the Lord’s Square) and the Tribunal Courtyard
In the centre of the square overlooked by the Scaligeran palaces stands Dante’s statue
because this was his home. And it is interesting to notice that this is no ordinary site:
the Roman road excavated beneath the present –day Via Dante reveals a huge underground archeological area.
Inside the “International Photographic Centre at the Scaligeran Excavations” under the
Tribunal Courtyard and inside what was once the palace belonging to Alberto, and then Cansignorio della
Scala, visitors can travel through 1300 years of history ranging from the mosaics from Roman villas, the
foundations of medieval towers, Vth century A.D. houses and VIIIth century Longobard tombs!
Dante trod on ground that hid an extraordinary concentrate of history. And he was undoubtedly aware of
Verona’s historical importance: in the coming and goings of well-known celebrities; in the building sites
from which magnificent churches were arising, in the merchants’ vibrant commerce...
7th Stop – Piazza Erbe (Herb Square)
...Talking of markets, here is the oldest market in the city; the heart of Verona beating for the past
2000 years. All the houses we can see date back to medieval times and the splendidly painted house-fronts are the Mazzanti ‘Case’ (Houses). Once they were Scaligeran granaries, just as the Domus
Mercatorum, or ‘Merchant’s House’ (built on Alberto’s orders), was Scaligeran, while the covering of
the ancient Palazzo del Comune (Municipal Palace) is rennaissance. Palazzo Maffei, the building
that forms a backdrop to the entire square is Baroque on the other hand, and thus here too there is
a concentrated elixir of history condensed within an extraordinarily vital architectonic setting. The
fountain too adds its sparkling vitality to Piazza Erbe, which in Dante’s time must have been bustling
with merchants and craftsmen. It is no coincidence that the fountain called Madonna Verona has the
twin soul of a head sculpted in Medieval times coupled with the Roman body of a pagan goddess. She
is symbolic of the union between the classical world and that of the modern Christian age. This is the
union that Dante dreamt of, and which seemed to be emerging right here in Verona, in a city where
life has been meant for living since time immemorial...
8th Stop – Church of Saint Anastasia
In Dante’s time this church too was a construction site. With Scaligeran help the Dominican monks were
building a basilica dedicated to their founder, Saint Dominic, who was Dante’s other best-loved saint and
the second pillar upon which he augured that the new Church might be founded.
Like San Fermo, Sant’Anastasia also displays the new Gothic style, which can still be admired today
in the height of the spans, in the thrust of the narrow arches, in the ribbed vaults and in the fresco
styles. Illustrious artists such as Altichiero, under patronage at the Scaligeran court have worked
in this basilica, not to mention Pisanello, whose famous fresco “Saint George and the Princess” will
leave you spellbound. It was painted in the 14th century, and shows an increasingly secular, courtly
and imaginative taste. It also seems that amongst other things the very first sepulchre containing
Dante’s descendants used to be here – the same Alighieris who settled permanently in the Valpolicella two centuries later. Dante’s son, Pietro, even owned the house on the left hand corner opposite
Sant’Anastasia, recognisable from the typical Medieval Veronese arches and characteristic white
tufo and red-brick horizontal stripes: these same arches can be found incorporated in a large number
of the buildings in the historical city centre.
9th Stop – Brà Molinari Square, behind Sant’Anastasia
In front of the river, which must have reminded him of the Arno, in front of the hills, which must also have
been all-too familiar, Dante must have been moved by a profound homesickness that ate away at his heart.
Right here, in front of us, to the right of the Roman Theatre, used to stand Theodoric’s Palace, the ruins
of which were still visible in Dante’s time. The philosopher Boethius, author of ‘De Consolatione Philosophiae’, worked as a minister under the King of the Goths. Dante’s thoughts settle upon another victim of
injustice: Boethius was accused of conspiracy: condemned by Theodoric, after a year’s imprisonment
he was executed. The barbarian King was tormented by guilt for this crime until the end of his days, and
historical sources tell us that he used to endure terrible visions whilst shut in his Veronese palace.
Standing in front of the flowing river, Dante ponders with rage at the philosopher’s sad end, but then he
calms down and feels him near: Boethius found the strength to bear his wrongful condemnation with
Christian spirit and fired by his love of knowledge which was his only true consolation in the face of Life’s
unfairness. Dante came to imagine him in Paradise where he was sure his soul could be found, finally
rewarded with eternal beatitude (canto X, v 121 – 130).
10th Stop – Guglielmo Guarienti of Pastrengo’s House in Vicolo
Verità
Amongst the many other political refugees in Verona there was also Francesco Petrarca, the other
great bastion of the Italian language. He was friends with Pietro Alighieri, Dante’s son, and the Tuscan
poet often stayed here in the house belonging to Guglielmo Guarienti of Pastrengo, with whom he
shared a love of the classics and of the discoveries he found in the nearby Capitular library... Petrarch’s father was also a friend of Dante’s and had been exiled from Florence for the same political
reasons, which meant that Petrarch too knew the rigors of exile on the one hand whilst enjoying the
favourable political climate established in Verona on the other. He was keen on the ‘humanist’ vision
of the world that he spied in the classical texts discovered in Verona. And there he found a renewed
vigour in his cultural research and in his commitment to bring peace back to Italy.
11th Stop – Saint Helen’s Church next to the Cathedral
It is 20th January 1320. It’s cold. Dante is nervous: many of the invited guests have failed to turn up
for the conference. Some of those present lower their eyes, as they cannot hold Dante’s fiery glare.
Someone is thinking: “he really did go to Hell”. And to tell the truth how else could you describe that
infinite wandering from one place to another, always condemned to climb ‘others people’s stairs’;
obliged to live cheek by jowl with clowns, jesters and courtesans? What better word describes the
ordeal imposed upon an upright, cultured and ingenious man having to constantly beg for hospitality
in exchange for diplomatic services; without ever having a real job or security that could at least
guarantee dignity and a future for his children? Here, at Saint Helena’s his one hope is that with his
dissertation on a much-discussed topic of those times (the problem of the level of waters with regard
to land) he would have the chance to show the professors and scholars at the University of Verona,
which was then a vivid cultural Mecca, all his knowledge as well his ability to master physics. He
would be awarded the dignity owed to a recognised scholar, and perhaps even a professorship... But
large numbers of them boycotted the conference and this was an unmistakable sign that the muchcoveted recognition was never going to arrive...
And yet, all the same there is knowledge; ever and always: there is knowledge and the “consolation
of philosophy”. God is not even doubted: faith, love and poetry are fundamental, but man also has intellect and the ability to reason, and this will save him from the dark woods. In his “Quaestio de aqua
et terra” Dante intuits the foundations of the future science, highlighting a contradiction between
experiential data and the theoretical model derived from abstract disciplines such as theology. In his
meticulous argumentation which leaves no stone unturned in his quest to be heard and respected
by the learned men of that time, Dante comes across once again as a man who – even in an epoch so
dark and brutal never stopped believing in man’s rationality.
12th Stop – The Canonical Cloister
The future took on a very special importance in Verona. Petrarch and other intellectuals have been
able to get closer to the Classics through the Capitular Library: in this ancient place they discovered
Latin texts, which revealed a new world, and were to form the basis of the Rennaissance.
It is very likely that Dante came here often, attracted to the place which housed Justinian’s Codes, the
texts of Roman law which form the foundation of Western Civilization’s legal system. In fact Justinian
too, like Boethius, appears in Dante’s Paradise (canto VI) for his work in promulgating these laws and
for having thereby established the foundations for a just and civil empire. Now that we are at the end
of our journey Dante’s great ideal comes back, and with it the image of a newly hopeful poet projected
towards the future he dreams of. Cangrande’s city is also the city that guards the juridical foundations
of the Roman Empire... All the signs really are here for the coming of a new world order. Dante really
might sometimes have taken flight here, amidst the memories, the anger, the anguish and his homesickness... on the wings of the Scaligeran eagle!