“Dante non è stato qui…forse”, the travelling show based on the Canto V of Purgatorio

even hundred years after his death, Dante could appear for the first time in the Teggina Valley. That’s the game suggested by the travelling show with walks developed by Samuele Boncompagni, Lenny Graziani and Laura Rossi. The curtain will rise from 10 to 12 August at 9:15pm, starting with a performance of Canto V of the Purgatorio, which has several connections with this area. The shows will take place on Tuesday 10 August in Raggiolo, Wednesday 11 August in Giogalto and Thursday 12 August in Ortignano Alto. 

Teggina Valley and the Divine Comedy

Raggiolo is one of the prettiest towns in Italy, nestled against the formidable Pratomagno slopes, topped by the meadows dividing Casentino and Valdarno, and surrounded by the greenery of chestnut woods. The village dominates the valley that Dante mentioned in his famous Canto V of Purgatorio, in which he describes the end of the tragic day of the Battle of Campaldino, as the valley was cloaked with fog allowing that “evil will, which only seeks out evil” (“a quel mal voler che pur mal chiede”) of the force of nature to ravage Bonconte’s body.

In Purgatory, Dante remembers Federico Novello, Count of Raggiolo and son of Guido Novello, the leader of the Ghibelline cavalry, who did not enter into battle at Campaldino, which proved decisive in the Aretine defeat.

The Ghibelline Count Federico is mentioned as one of the negligent spirits in Canto VI del Purgatorio, in the ranks where Bonconte da Montefeltro stands out and was brutally killed in combat beneath the walls of Raggiolo around 1291 by Alberto dei Bostoli, a Guelph from Arezzo.

Limited seating for Covid restrictions. For details: 331/2407140 – 338/9001799