Real
Ravenna
Ravenna is cited in the Commedia as a city near the sea in the Middle Ages, homeland of Francesca da Polenta, and is recalled in Inferno XXVII.
Description
Ravenna appears in the Commedia in at least two places: as a city by the sea, mentioned in the land of Francesca da Polenta to indicate her origin, and as the seat from which the Malatesta moved against the Po. The notes specify that in the Middle Ages the city still stood near the sea and that Francesca, daughter of Guido the Elder da Polenta, lord of Ravenna, was bound to it by birth and lineage. Guido da Prata, recalled by Guido in Paradiso XIV, originally came from a locality in the plain between Faenza and Ravenna, from which he rose to great honorable standing in life. The mention in Inferno XXVII places it among the stable locations of Dante's geography, used to measure the distance of the Malatesta fleet from the Po.
In the text
Linked verses
2 verses| Cantica | Canto | Verso | Testo | Open verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inferno | Canto XXVII | 40 | Ravenna sta come stata è molt’ anni: | Open verse |
| Paradise | Canto VI | 61 | Quel che fé poi ch’elli uscì di Ravenna | Open verse |