1. The first 1000 years

The founding of the city

2. The eleventh century

The problem with popes

3. Cacciaguida and the 12th century

The political background

4. The Guelphs and the Ghibellines

A new century

5. The Popolo

The pressure builds

6. Dante in Florence

In the spring of 1265, a little boy was born in the center of Ghibelline Florence to proud parents: Alaghiero, a low-profile Guelph who earned a living developing property in Prato (and maybe, to be honest, a little extra on the side making loans), and his wife Bella, who was a distant relative of the Ghibelline Abati family. This is the part in the story where Dante comes in.

7. The last years

Above: Dante as represented in the Hall of Famous Men (Corridoio degli uomini illustri) in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. This depiction, like that on the 2-euro coin, derives from Raphael’s portrayal of Dante in the papal apartments at the Vatican.