Signa

Description

Signa, a locality in Tuscany situated to the south-west of Florence along the Arno valley, is mentioned by Cacciaguida in Par. XVI, 56 alongside Aguglione, in the passage in which Dante's great-great-grandfather reviews the families and places of origin of some of the most distinguished Florentine citizens of the past: «del villan d'Aguglion, di quel da Signa». The location of the town, situated near the mouth of the Ombrone into the Arno and in a strategic position on the western border of the Florentine contado, made it an important junction between Florence, Pisa, and the lower Valdarno. In the verses, the mention of Signa is part of the celebration of ancient Florence, polemically contrasted with the degraded contemporary Florence; the phrase «quel da Signa» indicates with immediacy the geographical origin of the praised figure, whom criticism has variously identified.