Luni

Description

Luni, an ancient city situated at the eastern extremity of Liguria on the border with Tuscany, is recalled in Canto XVI of the Paradiso, when Cacciaguida, addressing Dante, asks him: «If you consider Luni and Orbisaglia / how they have gone and how they are going / after them Chiusi and Sinigaglia». The verse suggests the image of places that, despite having had great importance in the past, now appear reduced to ruins or have almost disappeared. Cacciaguida compares to this fate the decline of the Florentine families he has named, inviting reflection on the mutability of human fortunes. Luni is thus presented as an emblematic example of the transience of earthly glories, one of the images that Dante's great-great-grandfather uses to recommend to the exile prudence and moderation.