Statue of Dante, Naples

The statue of Dante Alighieri in Naples, the famous Italian poet, is located in the central part of the square of the same name, in the historic city limits. The statue was erected at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of Vittorio Imbriani, with the support of the townspeople.

Who is Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri is an Italian poet and thinker who lived and worked in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. His most famous work is "Divine Comedy." The works of Dante played a massive role in shaping the European culture of those times, having a strong impact not only on the poetic part but also the philosophical side of culture.

Throughout his entire creative life, Dante was accompanied by the image of his main muse, his first love — Beatrice Portinari, who had been the main mistress of his thoughts all his life. For Italian culture, Beatrice and Dante have become true symbols of love, as same as Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolda.

The history of Dante's statue

Initially, the site where the statue of Dante is now located should have had a statue in honour of King Charles Bourbon. However, the Italian poet Vittorio Imbriani noticed during his trip to Germany that in many cities of the country, there were statues of Schiller. It made him think that Dante was the most authoritative representative of the Italian people. That's how an idea of creating a monument in honour of the poet was born.

In 1862, the city established a special programme "Dante", aimed at raising funds among the citizens for the construction of the statue. In March 1862, the sculptors Tito Angelini and Tommaso Solari developed the design of the statue for free and agreed to create it. The money collected under the programme was spent only on consumables.

The statue was made on May 10, 1871, and erected on a pedestal on July 25, 1871. The inscription on the monument appeared only after almost 60 years. On June 26, 1932, the inscription "To the unity of Italy depicted in Dante Alighieri, 1862–1871” was presented during the solemn ceremony.

How to get there

The statue of Dante in Naples is located on Via Toledo. You can get here by public transport:

• Metro: line 1 and 2.
• Bus: 201.