Cianfa

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Cianfa is the name uttered by a damned soul in Inferno XXV, at v. 43 («Cianfa dove fia rimaso?»): a companion is seeking his presence within the group of four Florentines found in the bolgia of the thieves. The critical notes of the canto trace the name back to a Cianfa Donati, councilor of the captain of the people for the Sesto di Porta San Piero in 1282, a figure already dead by 1289, as would appear from the will of Corso Donati. His belonging to one of the principal Florentine families, and the public office he held, lead scholars to believe that the accusation of «ladroneccio» should be understood above all in a political sense, rather than as common theft, a hypothesis that the Chiose Selmi instead propose, identifying him as a cattle thief and a burglar of shops, information considered to lack any sure foundation. In the Dantean verse only the first name «Cianfa» is stated, while the surname (Donati) remains unmentioned: in the passage there are no indications of his action nor other biographical details.