“Beauty awakens the soul to act.”

“Do not be afraid;

our fate cannot be taken from us; it is a gift.”  ~ Dante Alighieri, Inferno

“The path to paradise begins in hell.”

“There is a gentle thought that often springs
to life in me, because it speaks of you.”

“Remember tonight… for it is the beginning of always.”

“Beauty awakens the soul to act.”

“In that book which is my memory,
On the first page of the chapter that is the day when I first met you,
Appear the words, ‘Here begins a new life’.”  ~ Dante Alighieri, Vita Nuova

at the entrance of La Casa di Dante
Florence, Italy

A great flame follows a little spark. ~ Dante Alighieri

“un grande incendio spesso segue una piccola scintilla.”

October, 2010

After having visited Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery, Camiel, I and Elisa walked towards the church of San Martino.

We visited the house of Dante Alighieri. It’s rebuilt to celebrate the place of Dante Alighieri’s birth and its location is based on old documents reported from 13th century of the houses of the Alighieri family.

To see the posters how Dante’s image of the paradise, purgatory, inferno and a painting replica on how Dante met Beatrice at Ponte Santa Trinita, samples of Florins (the money during Dante’s time) and of course the ancient books encased in a glass – the Divina Commedia was all informative and impelling for me.

On the first floor, documents of the 13th century Florence and the younger days of Dante, his baptism in the Baptistery of Santa Maria del Fiore, his public life, his election in the office of prior of the town and his participation in political/military struggles, there are plastic model of the Battle of Campaldino and interesting weapons of that time.

Going to the 2nd floor, shows the documents in connection with his painful exile in 1301, year of condemnation. In the 3rd floor, there’s the collection of documents on the fortune of Dante through the centuries, iconography. While sitting inside, admiring the historical artefacts and rich information on the influences of Florentine history to Dante Alighieri’s work, I was speechless and absorbed the moment with gratitude reflecting from my English term paper project in fourth year high school on the Divine Comedy, twenty three years later here I am and I got a copy of La Divina Commedia in its original language.

Learning and exploring every floor of the House of Dante, digging deeper more into the Florentine history and how it affected Dante’s literary works was an amazing time for me, especially that my husband, Camiel and little Elisa waited patiently for how long it took me to sit, reflect and scribble something on my diary.

Dante Alighieri – the father of Italian language. He’s one of the three crowns, Giovanni Boccaccio (known for The Decameron) & Francesco Petrarca (Father of Humanism).

p.s. Both Dante Alighieri, a supreme poet  and Mariannina Coffa, a poetess,  are my great classic inspirations while writing the Italian verses in my poetry book. To visit their homes in Florence (Autumn 2010) and Sicily (Summer, 2004)  were part of my memorable, touching literary travel wish lists realized.

My reflective thoughts whenever I remember Dante’s masterpiece is:

 

In reality, it is both the beautiful and the ugly adversities in life

that can move our heart and soul towards better or worse actions.

All of us can be  one of those little sparks.

Tiny but bright and joyful spirits reaching out for a better humanity.

Small sparks forming a great flame for a better future for mankind through our simple,

daily ways of good living and sharing the better values of life and good attitudes.

Don’t forget that you are a graceful soul who can stimulate positive actions for others.

Take care,

Angelica Hopes, author of the books:

1. Rhythm of a Heart, Music of a Soul
2. Landscapes of a Heart, Whispers of a Soul

… one day in a life of a novelist …
from my literary journeys, Casa di Dante
Florence, Italy

© 2010 Camiel van Doorn Photography