Dantedì: Italy pays tribute to Dante on 25 March

Italy celebrates Father of the Italian language. Italy marks the sixth edition of Dantedì, the national day dedicated to Dante Alighieri, on Wednesday 25 March 2026. The annual event in honour of the mediaeval poet and philosopher - known as the Father of the Italian language - was introduced in 2021 on the 700th anniversary of his death. A programme of Dante-themed events will take place across Italy on the day, from readings and conferences to documentary screenings and theatrical productions. Italy celebrates Year of Dante 25 March was chosen for Dantedì as it is the date given by scholars for the start of the journey to the afterlife in Dante's epic, The Divine Comedy. The long narrative poem represents a 14th-century vision of the afterlife, describing Dante's journey through the three realms of the dead: Inferno (hell), Purgatorio (purgatory) and Paradiso (heaven). Dante, who began composing the groundbreaking trilogy in or around 1308, wrote the poem's 14,233 lines in the vernacular, opting for the Tuscan dialect which was accessible to the masses rather than the traditional Latin reserved for the most educated readers. Dante: 700 years of The Divine Comedy A day-long series of events dedicated to Dante will take place on Wednesday, many of celebrating the links between the poet and St Francis of Assisi. Dante identifies Francis as the "Panegyric" of Canto Eleven, while the Allegory of Chastity fresco (dated before 1322) in the Lower Church of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, depicts the saint welcoming the poet. Italy is currently marking the 800th anniversary of the death of San Francesco, the country's patron saint, whose bones were on public display for veneration in Assisi until 22 March.