Cassino

Description

Cassino is presented in Paradiso XXII as the village placed on the slope of a mountain whose summit was once frequented by pagan peoples. There Benedict, the spirit who speaks to Dante in the Heaven of Saturn, recalls having been the first to bring the name of Christ, founding the place that would become the symbol of his work in the West. The Dantesque reference is inspired by the description of Gregory the Great, who mentions Cassino situated on the side of a high mountain and a very ancient temple dedicated to Apollo on the summit, where Benedict introduced the Christian faith.