Collective reading of the Comedy by 300 readers in Piazza dei Miracoli, from September 11 to 13
A week of Dante events organized by the Scuola Normale, concluding in the reading at the Camposanto monumentale
The Camposanto Monumentale in Piazza del Duomo will be filled with Dante’s words as a collective reading of the Comedy takes place from Saturday 11 to Monday 13. Three hundred readers from all over Italy, aged between 7 and 90, will celebrate the Comedy in the charming setting among the medieval frescoes by Buffalmacco and Taddeo Gaddi. The event is organized by the Scuola Normale in collaboration with Opera Primaziale Pisana. The reading will begin on Saturday September 11 with Hell, continuing on Sunday 12 with Purgatory, and ending on Monday September 13 with Paradise on the very night in which Dante is said to have died in Ravenna in 1321. The readings will begin at 8pm and end at midnight. Admission will be free upon reservation.
The collective readings complete a rich calendar of events that began in the precedent days, organized by the Normale in collaboration with some of the most noted cultural institutions in the city.
Lessons on Dante
September 7, 8 and 9 will be dedicated to a series of lectures on Dante, with the participation of some of the greatest experts on the work of the Supreme Poet. Lino Leonardi, professor of Romance Philology at the Normale, begins with his lecture on How to read Dante (6pm on September 7, Libreria Ghibellina, Borgo Stretto; free admission and open to all). The next event will be by Stefano Carrai, professor of Italian literature at the Normale, who will give a lecture on Reading Dante in small pieces (6pm, September 8, Libreria Ghibellina, Borgo Stretto; free admission and open to all). Finally, Professor Lucia Battaglia Ricci will give a lecture on Dante through images: a history spanning seven centuries (6pm, September 9, Sala Azzurra, Palazzo della Carovana, Piazza dei Cavalieri; free admission upon reservation).
At 9.30pm on Friday September 10 in the Cloister of Palazzo della Carovana, the Normale will host one of the greatest Italian actors, Sandro Lombardi, for a powerful reading of some of the most beautiful canti of the Comedy, from that of Ugolino to the prayer to the Virgin. Each canto will be introduced by pupils of the Normale. Admission is free upon reservation.
On Monday September 13, the Scuola Normale Library will reopen the Torre del Conte Ugolino museum space in Piazza dei Cavalieri to the public, much-loved by tourists and not only. The museum space is located near the famous Torre della Muda, where Ugolino (the unforgettable protagonist of one of the most moving canti in the Comedy) was imprisoned with his children. It’s possible to book a guided tour by the library staff between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm.
Finally, thanks to the collaboration with Palazzo Blu, those who participate in the reading will be able to visit the Tom Phillips Dante’s Inferno exhibition for free. The show brings together the complete series of illustrations by Tom Phillips of Dante’s Comedy (1983), until Monday September 19. To participate in all events, you must have a valid green pass.
Booking information is available at this link.
