Tour in the footsteps of Dante in Milan, among monuments and museums

Dante and the Lombard capital, a mysterious relationship

Although it is not known with certainty whether the Florentine Dante Alighieri, an exile in 14th-century Italy, ever stayed in Milan, it is certain that not much space is devoted to the city of the Visconti within his literary works, particularly the Commedia. Yet places, statues, streets and museums in Milan preserve the traces of a widespread Dantean memory and a devotion to the father of Italian literature that was particularly alive during the 19th century. What, then, was really the relationship between the great Florentine master and the Lombard city is still unclear today.

Tour on Dante in Milan: stops not to be missed

Moving along Via Dante, the artery of Milan’s historic center that connects Castello Sforzesco and Piazza del Duomo, the possible stops for a Dante itinerary in the company of our guides are many. In particular, it is in Milan’s most important museums that it is worthwhile to unearth some masterpieces inspired precisely by the supreme poet‘s verses, fromInferno to Paradiso – boundless repertoires of images and characters on which artists of every era, from the Middle Ages to the present day, have drawn abundantly. Whether it is the precious Studiolo Dantesco kept inside the house museum of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli, the Dantean stained-glass window by Giuseppe Bertini now on display at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, or sculptures and paintings – such as those at GAM – depicting the celebrated story of Paolo and Francesca… one is spoiled for choice to relive, right in the heart of Milan, the fascination of Dante’s imagery, still relevant even after 700 years since the great poet’s death.