Tomb of Dante

On Gingerguide's self-guided Ravenna audio tour, Tomb of Dante is a stop worth about ~15 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.

Tomb of Dante, Ravenna
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

About Tomb of Dante

The Tomb of Dante in Ravenna, a small neoclassical temple of 1780 to 1781 beside the church of San Francesco, where the remains of the poet Dante Alighieri rest after his death in exile in 1321.

Florence sentenced Dante to exile in 1302, and he spent his last years in Ravenna as a guest of its lord, Guido Novello da Polenta. He died here in September 1321. Later, when Florence asked for his bones, the friars of San Francesco hid them; they were found again in a wall in 1865. A lamp at the tomb burns with oil given by Florence.

The tomb is free and open every day; the small interior is seen from the doorway. Hours are a little shorter from November. The nearby Dante Museum is closed on Mondays.

Did you know? When Florence came to take Dante's bones in 1519, the sarcophagus in Ravenna was empty, because the Franciscan friars had hidden them.

How much time do you need at Tomb of Dante?

Around ~15 min works well for Tomb of Dante — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.

Should you stop at Tomb of Dante?

Yes — Tomb of Dante made the cut as one of 13 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Ravenna. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.

Nearby stops in Ravenna

Sources and further reading

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Hear the story of Tomb of Dante

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