Following in Dante’s Footsteps

(Financial Times) — The crowd dances in front of Dante Alighieri’s tomb. We have arrived at the final destination after almost 50km of hiking through the Apennines to Ravenna, where the poet spent his last years after being exiled from Florence. In Italian we sing “Love that moves the sun”, from the final lines of the Divine Comedy, to an ensemble including accordion, guitar, Italian bagpipe and a chorus of bells. The maestro of the group, Ambrogio Sparagna, has set passages from the poem to songs in an ancient folkloric style.

The 700th anniversary of Dante’s death is omnipresent this year in Italy, from museum exhibitions to the Ravenna Festival, which from June 2 to July 31 dedicated new commissions, theatre performances, an installation and more to the founding father of Italian literature. The four-day trekking concert Carovana Creativa sul Cammino di Dante (Creative Caravan Along Dante’s Way) emerged in collaboration with the touring company Trail Romagna as an homage combining music, poetry readings, nature walks and culinary experiences. […]

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