Antenori

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In the Purgatorio the pilgrim from Fano recalls his own assassination and indicates that the deep wounds from which the blood in which the soul resided poured out were inflicted on him in the Paduan territory: this is the meaning of the periphrasis «li Antenori», with which the Paduans are designated as descendants of Antenor, founder of their city. The critical note also clarifies how Dante, recalling that Antenor is the prototype of traitors, almost evokes an accusation of complicity on the part of the Paduans with Azzo, who betrayed those who trusted him. The name thus preserves, even in the Purgatorio episode, the infamous nuance that links it to the world of betrayal.