Dante references: Literary Tourism in Marche

Valentina Pagnanini (University of Macerata, Italy)

Today, literary tourism in the Marche Region focuses on the locations mentioned or alluded to by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy. There are eleven historical, geographical and cultural places in the “dolce terra | Latina” [sweet Latian land] (Inf XXVII 26-27) so dear to the great poet, in “quel paese | che siede tra Romagna e quel di Carlo” [the land | That ‘twixt Romagna lies and that of Charles”] (Purg V 68-69), affected by Dantean references.

In Paradise, the text initially refers to the long and wide Tronto river (Par VIII 63), with its winding course, chosen by Dante, which constitutes the geographical border between the Marca Anconitana and the Kingdom of Naples. The poem then introduces his great-great-grandfather Cacciaguida’s memory of the ancient and decaying Roman cities of Urbisaglia and Senigallia, one in the province of Macerata and the other in the province of Ancona: “Se tu riguardi Luni e Orbisaglia | come sono ite, e come se ne vanno | di retro ad esse Chiusi e Sinigaglia” [If Luni thou regard, and Urbisaglia, | How they have passed away, and how are passing | Chiusi and Sinigaglia after them] (Par XVI 73-75).

In Urbisaglia today, visitors can photograph stone inscriptions containing the references to the town in the Divine Comedy outside the famed “Archaeological Park of Urb Salvia”, in front of the Roman ruins and near the amphitheatre. In Senigallia, an epigraph engraved in marble can be found on a wall near Roveresca castle with the quote from Paradise, and here visitors can admire the Renaissance architecture of the structure, both a noble residence and a fortress with military defence functions.

The journey continues to the Apennines, to the province of Pesaro Urbino. San Pier Damiani describes a silent place, surrounded by nature, intended for prayer and religious worship, the Benedictine monastery of Santa Croce di Fonte Avellana on the slopes of Monte Catria: “e fanno un gibbo che si chiama Catria, | di sotto al quale è consecrato un ermo, | che suole esser disposto a sola latria.” [And form a ridge that Catria is called, | ‘Neath which is consecrate a hermitage | Wont to be dedicated to worship only.”] (Par XXI 109-111). Today, tourists can visit and stay in the Camaldolese abbey, which hosts the “Centro Studi Avellaniti”. The Centre attracts scholars and researchers both for its impressive ancient library with about 20,000 volumes and for the modern library dedicated to Dante Alighieri in 1965 for the seven hundredth anniversary of his birth. Visitors can also participate in the cultural initiatives of the Collegium “Scriptorium Fontis Avellanae”.

In Purgatory, we see the Montefeltro region, characterised by wide mountainous and hilly territorial boundaries (Marche, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna), with the steep climb up to the majestic and impregnable San Leo Fortress standing on a rocky boulder in a strategic position dominating the Marecchia valley and the landscape below “Vassi in Sanleo e discendesi in Noli” [One climbs Sanleo and descends in Noli] (Purg IV 25). San Leo was incorporated into the province of Rimini in 2009 and was listed in 2017 as one of the most beautiful Italian villages. Montefeltro was an important cultural crossroads and was the birthplace of the valiant Ghibelline captain Bonconte da Montefeltro and the illustrious count Guido da Carpegna (Purg XIV 98). Bonconte died at the Battle of Campaldino “Io fui di Montefeltro, io son Bonconte” [I was of Montefeltro, and am Buonconte] (Purg V 88) and his corpse mysteriously disappeared. Dante mentions Guido as an example of valour and chivalrous virtue.

Finally, there is the Picene and later Roman coastal city of Fano and its people, mentioned by the Guelf nobleman Jacopo del Cassero, a political representative and military leader born and buried there, who asks Dante to remember him among the people of Fano so that they may pray for him: “che tu mi sie di tuoi prieghi cortese | in Fano, sì che ben per me s’adori” [Thou be so courteous to me of thy prayers | In Fano, that they pray for me devoutly] (Purg V 70-71).

Nowadays, visitors to the former church of San Domenico, now used as a picture gallery, can observe the memorial plaque commemorating Jacopo on the entrance facade, restored in 2021 for the anniversary of Dante’s death. Jacopo was buried there at the end of the 13th century and is also remembered in the hexameter epitaph on the tomb.

In Inferno, Dante directly links the biographical events of three characters to the Marche Region, as it is known today. Firstly, the Ghibelline count and captain Guido da Montefeltro – father of the aforementioned Bonconte –, who recalls his origins in the mountains near Urbino “ch’io fui d’i monti là intra Orbino | e ’l giogo di che Tever si diserra” [For I was from the mountains there between | Urbino and the yoke whence Tiber bursts.] (Inf XXVII 29-30), ducal city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Secondly, the influential and distinguished citizens Guido del Cassero and Angiolello da Carignano are referred to as “the best two of Fano” when Piero da Medicina prophecizes their treacherous killing by drowning locked in sacks: “E fa saper a’ due miglior da Fano, | a messer Guido e anco ad Angiolello, | che, se l’antiveder qui non è vano, | gittati saran fuor di lor vasello | e mazzerati presso a la Cattolica | per tradimento d’un tiranno fello.” [And make it known to the best two of Fano, | To Messer Guido and Angiolello likewise, | That if foreseeing here be not in vain, | Cast over from their vessel shall they be, | And drowned near unto the Cattolica, | By the betrayal of a tyrant fell.] (Inf XXVIII 76-81).

Their murder, premeditated by Malatestino Malatesta lord of Rimini, in the waters of the Adriatic Sea is identified in a reference to the promontory of Fiorenzuola di Focara, nestled in the greenery of the Mount San Bartolo Natural Park, feared by mariners because of wind gusts due to its altitude (187 m.) and precarious position overlooking the sea: “Quel traditor che vede pur con l’uno, | e tien la terra che tale qui meco | vorrebbe di vedere esser digiuno, | farà venirli a parlamento seco; | poi farà sì, ch’al vento di Focara | non sarà lor mestier voto né preco”. [That traitor, who sees only with one eye, | And holds the land, which some one here with me | Would fain be fasting from the vision of, | Will make them come unto a parley with him; | Then will do so, that to Focara’s wind | They will not stand in need of vow or prayer.] (Inf XXVIII 85-90). Dante’s verses are now visible to the visiting tourist, carved both in Focara into the entrance gate to the town, and in Fano in the facade of the former “Palazzo dei da Carignano”.

The most famous literary tourist attraction is the Malatesta fortress of Gradara, known for the story of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini, two lovers who allegedly meet their death in a castle, presumably Gradara: “Amor condusse noi ad una morte | Caina attende chi a vita ci spense.” [Love has conducted us unto one death; | Caina waiteth him who quenched our life!”] (Inf V 106-107).

The museum has 14 furnished chambers (Torture chamber, Mastio’s room, Sigismondo and Isotta’s room, the Passion room, Malatesta room, Lucrezia Borgia’s Camerino, Lucrezia Borgia’s dressing room, the Sforza Lion room, the Cardinal’s Hall, the Putti room, the Red room, the Council room, Francesca’s bedroom and the room of justice) housing famous works such as the painting Madonna in trono con il Bambino e i Santi Stefano, Sofia, Michele, Giovanni Battista (1484) of Giovanni Santi, and the terracotta Madonna con il Bambino e i Santi Ludovico di Tolosa, Caterina d’Alessandria, Maria Maddalena, Girolamo (1480-90) by Luca della Robbia in the chapel. Francesca’s bedroom displays a reconstruction of Francesca’s four-poster bed, her dress, a lectern and the trap door through which the two lovers tried to escape.

Various quotes from and poetic references to Dante’s work are presented both inside the castle in a medieval setting and outside, through the village streets, and, in a more contemporary atmosphere, on the ceiling of a nearby restaurant. Any visit to this ancient residence brings Dante’s account to life.

Finally, two significant points relating to Dante and the Divine Comedy should also be remembered: the poet’s exile was decided by Carlo di Valois and Corso Donati in 1301 in the Marche village of Castello Della Pieve; and Antonio da Fermo, who was originally from Marche, was the copyist of the Landian Code 190, the oldest manuscript record found (1336) of the Divine Comedy.

How to cite this dictionary entry: Pagnanini, V. (2023). Dante references: Literary Tourism in Marche. In R. Baleiro, G. Capecchi & J. Arcos-Pumarola (Eds.). E-Dictionary of Literary Tourism. University for Foreigners of Perugia.

References 

Alighieri, D. (2005). The Divine Comedy (L. Wadsworth Longfellow, Trans.). The Pennsylvania State University.

Allevi, F. (1971). Marche. In Enciclopedia Dantesca (pp. 822-824). Treccani.

Bartoli, M. et al. (2021). Le Marche in viaggio con Dante. Claudio Ciabochi.

Casadidio, E. (1965). Dante e le Marche. Direzione didattica di Caldarola.

Ferroni, G. (2019). L’Italia di Dante. Viaggio nel Paese della “Commedia”. La nave di Teseo.

Natalucci, M. (1967). Dante e le Marche. Pàtron.

Pagnanini, V. (2021). Itinerari danteschi nel “Bel Paese da li dolci colli”. GD Edizioni.

Petrocchi, G. (1966-1967). La Commedia secondo l’antica vulgata. Mondadori.

Petrocchi, G. (1994). Itinerari danteschi. FrancoAngeli.

Piergiacomi, G. (1966). “Il bel paese da li dolci colli” nel poema di Dante, 1265-1965. Cassa di Risparmio di Macerata.

Alabama’s Civil Rights Literary Tourism

Withrow C. P. Newell (University of Montevallo, USA)

Alabama’s pivotal role in the American Civil Rights Movement creates a powerful foundation for literary tourism, enabling visitors to engage with both narrative and geography in reconstructing historical memory. Literary tourism in this context bridges the experiential with the educational, allowing travellers to encounter spaces like Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham while simultaneously engaging with fictional and nonfictional texts that document the Civil Rights struggle. This approach not only reinforces the historical significance of these sites but also preserves cultural narratives that challenge erasure and commodification (Wagner, 2012).

The rise of civil rights tourism in Alabama reflects a complex negotiation between remembrance, economic opportunity, and ethical representation. Under Governor George Wallace’s later administration, known for its symbolic pivot toward racial reconciliation, including the appointment of Black officials and public apologies, Frances Smiley’s 1983 development of Alabama’s Black Heritage: A Tour of Historic Sites exemplifies this duality. While it is often cited as the state’s first formal effort to promote its civil rights legacy, archival evidence shows that the Alabama tourism office had already produced full-color advertisements in the late 1970s specifically targeting Black heritage tourism. These materials highlighted the state’s African American history and declared, “No other state in the union is as rich in Black history as Alabama the Beautiful,” making Smiley’s 1983 booklet a continuation rather than the origin of this effort (Santangeli Valenzani, 2025, p. 80).

The Montgomery Bus Boycott, initiated by Rosa Parks’ refusal to cede her seat, is an iconic moment within this tourism framework. Her defiance and the collective action that followed are central to understanding the mechanics of organized protest and the legal interventions that followed (Glennon, 1991). Martin Luther King Jr.’s reflections in Stride Toward Freedom further illuminate the movement’s deeply strategic and communal aspects. These narratives find physical expression in the Rosa Parks Museum, where the fusion of space and story cultivates visitor empathy and understanding (Kennedy, 1989). Similarly, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma functions as a potent symbol of resistance, remembered for “Bloody Sunday” and the broader Selma-to-Montgomery marches that galvanized national support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Visitors who traverse this bridge reenact a pilgrimage of protest, underscoring the enduring connection between physical space and political transformation.

Literary texts are integral to this tourism framework, acting as cultural artifacts that encode memory and shape public consciousness. While set in fictional Maycomb, Alabama, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird evokes themes of racial injustice, childhood innocence, and moral courage that resonate with the ethos of the Civil Rights Movement. Chapter 15, where Atticus Finch confronts a lynch mob outside the jail, mirrors the real-life tensions between legal justice and mob violence, offering a fictional parallel to events that took place in towns like Monroeville and Montgomery. Though criticized for its white savior narrative, the novel nonetheless provides an entry point for discussing the systemic injustices that civil rights sites seek to illuminate.

The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, the site of the 1963 bombing that killed four girls, stands as one of the most sacred spaces in Alabama’s civil rights topography. Sarah Collins Rudolph, the so-called “fifth little girl,” recounts her survival and long journey for justice in The 5th Little Girl. Her testimony reminds visitors and scholars alike that civil rights history is not just a collective memory, but a lived trauma, often inadequately acknowledged by official commemorations. The emotional and legal aftermath of the bombing, explored in Justice Delayed, Justice Delivered, reveals how long it took for the judicial system to hold perpetrators accountable, further complicating narratives of progress and closure.

Since 2014, Alabama’s civil rights tourism has undergone a significant transformation due to the efforts of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). Based in Montgomery, EJI has established the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Legacy Museum, and Freedom Park. Collectively referred to as the Legacy Sites, these institutions confront the legacy of slavery, racial terror, segregation, and mass incarceration, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Their design and interpretation not only encourage visitors to remember the past but also to reflect on its current implications, enriching the state’s heritage tourism framework. These sites have repositioned Montgomery as a vital hub in the national civil rights tourism network and established EJI as a leader in memory work and education on racial justice. Although not strictly literary, these spaces are deeply informed by EJI founder Bryan Stevenson’s memoir Just Mercy, a widely read and taught narrative adapted into a major motion picture starring Michael B. Jordan.

These stories reinforce how collective memory is curated through storytelling and spatial marking. Sites like the Birmingham Civil Rights District and interpretive centers in Selma and Montgomery provide educational content but must also resist the temptation to present resolved narratives. As Wagner (2012) cautions, celebrating civil rights victories can obscure persistent racial inequities if not paired with critical engagement. Ultimately, Alabama’s Civil Rights Literary Tourism offers a model for how literature, memory, and geography can intersect to foster historical literacy and civic awareness. By navigating both the literal and literary landscapes of the civil rights struggle, visitors are invited to become more than spectators; they become witnesses to a legacy still unfolding. The power of this experience lies in preserving memory and its capacity to challenge, inspire, and activate the next generation of advocates.

How to cite this dictionary entry: Newell, W. C. P. (2025). Alabama’s Civil Rights Literary Tourism. In R. Baleiro, G. Capecchi & J. Arcos-Pumarola (Orgs.). E-Dictionary of Literary Tourism. University for Foreigners of Perugia. https://doi.org/10.34623/zdg2-hn59

References 

Glennon, R. (1991). The role of law in the civil rights movement: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955–1957. Law and History Review, 9(1), 59–112.

Kennedy, R. (1989). Martin Luther King’s constitution: A legal history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Yale Law Journal, 98(6), 999–1060.

Lee, H. (1960). To kill a mockingbird. J.B. Lippincott & Co.

Rudolph, S. C., & Snipe, T. (2020). The 5th little girl: Soul survivor of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Africa World Press.

Santangeli Valenzani, G. (2025). Great Times Down South: Deep South Tourism Promotion in the Carter Era. University of Georgia Press.

Wagner, D. (2012). The American South: From civil rights struggle to civil rights tourism. American Studies Journal, 56. https //doi.org/10.18422/56-05