FLORENCE, ITALY – Oscar-winning actor Roberto Benigni red from Dante on Monday May 4, 2015, in the Italian Senate, spearheading a constellation of celebrations in Italy to mark the 750th anniversary of the medieval poet’s birth.
Benigni’s reading in the Upper House of parliament was attended by President Sergio Mattarella and broadcasted live to the Nation, together with a new musical hommage to the poet by renowned composer Nicola Piovani.
At least 187 events are being staged throughout Italy to mark the anniversary, including exhibits, concerts, publications, new translations, performances, conferences and readings, especially in Florence, Ravenna, Verona and Rome: the cities most linked to Dante. More than 173 events have been scheduled outside Italy by Italian Cultural Institutes in foreign cities.