Benigni reads Dante on the Quirinale
Roberto Benigni read the XXV Canto del Paradiso in the Salone dei Corazzieri at Quirinale on live television on the occasion of the “Dantedi” (Dante’s Day) celebrations in the presence of the President of the Republic of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, and the Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini.
- Benigni said Dante wrote Paradise to remove people from a state of sadness, something we all could certainly use now.
- The La divina Commedia event is celebrated on March 25th, the anniversary of Dantes’ death in 1321.
- During the spring to autumn event, Dante Alighieri and Francesca da Rimini, the most famous and beloved character of the Divine Comedy in the world, will be celebrated with 30 coordinated cultural events.
The Tuscan actor (Nobel Prize) stressed that Dante wrote the poem Paradise, “to remove people from the state of sadness, misery and poverty in which they find themselves and to lead them into a state of happiness.”
What is happiness for Dante? The End of Paradise – the third and final part of Dante’s Divine Comedy – is the infinite desire that each of us must identify with and reconnect with divine reality. “Each of us,” said Benigni, “has the feeling that there is an immortal spark in him, and Dante knows it. If, after reading Paradise, you read by letting go, you no longer look at other people with distraction or indifference, but as chests of a mystery, as custodians of an immense destiny. “
Dantedi
On March 25, the whole day was dedicated to Dante to celebrate this greatest poet, who in his verses gave Italy an identity several centuries before its nation. His work still speaks to us today of mystical and very real places, of beauty and humanity in all its facets, with a message that is more contemporary and topical than ever before.
This day must be celebrated in a special way to honor the seven hundredth anniversary of Alighieri’s death. Because of this, across Italy, and particularly in Florence, Ravenna, and Verona – three key cities in Dante’s history – there are hundreds of events, large and small, that pay homage to Dante and his commedia.
The Divine Comedy
The event is celebrated on March 25th, the anniversary of Dantes’ death in 1321. Scholars have identified the beginning of the Journey to the Beyond the Divine Comedy on this date. This national holiday, dedicated to Dante Alighieri, was launched in 2020 by the Council of Ministers on the proposal of Minister Dario Franceschini.
Dante in the world and events
Dante’s genius is recognized all over the world and it is certainly not only Italy that wants to celebrate: thanks to spontaneous initiatives, thousands of events are organized “from below” on every continent.
In addition to about a hundred sponsored by the Committee for the “Dante 700” Celebrations, among those proposed by the museums, archives and libraries of the state and by the City of Dante, to those of the National Committee for the Celebrations recognize 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri and the National Central Library of Rome – BNCR – all collected on the website www.beniculturali.it
