Dante's Gift

Fiorenza mio amore

 

  SPOILER ALERT: 

this post includes details which reveal

plot elements of Dante's Gift

The Dove was begging for a sequel; although it was not planned from the outset, it became clear while I was writing. The story did not end with the executions of the Goodmen and women and with Sibilia's escape. Others fled and carried their message abroad, the Goodmen's religion survived at least into the following century and their fate was possibly caught up with that of other persecuted groups such as the Templars. 

Bonshommes being banished from Carcassonne in 1209; some of those who survived would have fled to communities in northern and central Italy

Although Sibilia's mission would not be described in detail, it also seemed necessary to trace her legacy. There was the added temptation of transferring the sequel to Italy and Florence, and of introducing a protagonist I have revered for many years. I confess I hesitated to include him at all: it seemed impertinent at best and hubris at worst. Perhaps I have committed hubris, but it has been a great adventure doing so!

Sandro Botticelli's portrait of Dante Alighieri, 1495

My fascination with the Middle Ages which probably dates to childhood readings, focused more sharply at university when I studied medieval Italian literature and first encountered the life and times of Dante Alighieri and his peers. Falling in love with Florence and its history was, for me, an inevitable consequence of studying under scholars of the middle ages who were dantisti, no less. And I had three, all very engaging.

Trips as a student to France and Italy confirmed how much of that fascinating past was, if not alive, vibrant and accessible, tucked in the layers of local culture. Art, architecture, medieval concerts, festivals and pageants kept the distant past familiar and enriched the present.

Although the Renaissance tends to be the biggest draw for the visitor to Florence, the Middle Ages unavoidably makes itself felt. After all, if it had not been for the skills and versatility of Florence's medieval craftsmen, and the ambition and success of its mercantile class, the 'Renaissance' would simply not have happened when and where it did. 

The guild of the stonemasons sculpted on the facade of the church of Orsanmichele, Florence. Such skilled workers flourished thanks to wealthy merchant and financier patrons

Then there is the glorious architecture, from churches to secular public buildings to residences. The best of these, in my opinion, were either built or had their foundations laid in the middle ages: San Miniato al Monte, the Bargello, the Palazzo Vecchio, Orsanmichele, the Badia Fiorentina, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Duomo, (Santa Maria del Fiore) and Giotto's belltower, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce as well as countless less famous edifices. And all those buildings house breathtaking frescoes, sculptures, carvings, artifacts which bear witness to the artistic mastery of those wealthy, turbulent years of change and creativity.

By 1342 when this fresco of Florence was painted, the city was prosperous, growing rapidly and attracting money and talent. Note the Baptistery, the Badia Fiorentina, the Bargello, the city walls: all still standing today.

This 'sequel' begins in France; the young protagonists were passive players in The Dove and must now carry out a mission of their own. The children will journey first to medieval centres in southern France, then eventually sail for Italy. 

Rocamadour (my Roche Amadour): from this perspective it cannot have changed very much in 800 years

It was fun arranging for my young heroes' passage to Genoa, imagining the port city at the end of the 13th century, and thence their journey north and south until they reach the City of the Lily. As ever, the research was thrilling, a continual voyage of discovery, largely thanks to the resources of the internet. Books on life in the middle ages I have studied and used, but many snippets of information came straight from the web.

Genoa (my Genua) in a late medieval depiction; as one of the Maritime Republics it was a flourishing city at the time

The greatest enjoyment came from imagining and depicting Florence at the end of the 13th century, when the city was in ferment. It was a building site; a mercantile treasure chest; a crucible for arts, crafts, ideas. It was a tinderbox too, the internecine squabbles between Black and White Guelphs (formerly Guelphs and Ghibellines) magnified by the larger stresses and strains between Holy Roman Empire and Papacy. 

The Guelphs defeated the Ghibellines at the Battle of Campaldino in 1289. This is a painting by Paolo Uccello of the Battle of San Romano, which took place almost 150 years later, but it is such a marvellous work of art, I had to include it.

This was the period when Dante was not only still living in Florence, but was promoted briefly to an important political role, as a Prior of the city. The story had to be seen through the eyes of Sibilia's granddaughter because  events had to coincide with Dante's last months in Florence before leaving for Rome and subsequent exile. Although for the sake of the story multiple liberties are taken, the essential elements are grounded in history and a certain chronology is respected.

This 'romantic' painting is incompatible with its source (from inappropriate demeanour, costumes, to brick paving, cleanliness, etc.), but is nevertheless evocative

The most exciting aspect, from my point of view, was to imagine the Supreme Poet's underlying motives for writing his masterpiece and the role my young heroes play in its execution. Hubris certainly, but worth the Fall!

Botticelli's Rendering of Dante's Hell, circa 1480