This plaque is located in Via Dante Alighieri, above number 2, near the Dante’s House Museum.
Coat of arms: ALIGHIERI Family.
Inferno – Canto XXIII – vv 94 – 95
“. . . I WAS BORN AND RAISED UPON THE BEAUTIFUL RIVER ARNO IN THE GREAT CITY”
“I was born and I grew up along the banks of the beautiful river Arno, in the great city [of Florence].”
These two verses are part of the introduction of Dante himself, as he responds to the questions of Catalano dei Malavolti and Loderingo degli Andalò—two damned souls who had previously been sent to Florence as peacemakers (the Frati Gaudenti).
The poet uses this phrasing to identify himself with pride as a citizen of Florence—the “gran villa” (the great city)—which stands upon the “bel fiume d’Arno” (the beautiful river Arno). This brief but powerful declaration highlights the poet’s deep bond with his native land.
