The summer heat has me thinking of Dante's "Divina Commedia," the
Divine Comedy. In the first part, the Inferno, the journey begins in
Hell, where Dante and the poet Virgil encounter the damned and witness
the punishments to the unrepentant. In Purgatorio, Dante emerges from
the frozen floor of hell and begins his ascent toward heaven where, in
Paradiso, Dante is reunited with Beatrice, the love of his life,
described as "l'amore che move il sole e l'altra stelle," or the love
that moves the sun and other stars.
The "Divina Commedia" was Dante Alighieri's autobiographical dream
journey after the events leading to his exile from Tuscany in 1301.
Beatrice, whose "love at first sight" so inspired him, died in 1290.
For the next 10 years Dante fought in the Guelph-Ghibelline conflict,
striving to keep Florentines free from the strict papal rule. When the
Guelphs split into opposing papal sides, Dante supported the lessening
of papal rule. He was asked to be a delegate to Rome, where he was
tricked into staying while the pro-papal Guelphs ransacked Florence.
The new rulers committed Dante to exile, from which he would never
return.
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