28 May Dante in Italy
Monday night I walked to Rivareno’s for gelato with Susie, Ashley and Sammi D. On our way home we ran into a café named, La Cantietta di Dante e Beatrice. I was so focused on my Alice flavored gelato I almost didn’t notice the sign. After my brief English nerd moment of excitement of understanding the literary allusion, I couldn’t stop thinking about the influence of Dante on the culture of Florence.
This past semester I read John Milton’s Paradise Lost. When I started reading Dante’s Inferno, I couldn’t help but relate the two. I felt like it wasn’t relatable because I am not very religious and the stories were difficult to relate to…at first. As we toured Florence the past four days, I started to realize the impact Dante had on not only literature, but the culture of this beautiful, historic city. Dante’s Inferno discusses the human condition and the fate of human sin. Now, most people wouldn’t think this is relatable nor enjoyable to remember, but the deeper meaning behind Dante’s masterpiece is to realize we [humans] are all connected even through sin and death. We all sin and we all will die. Death and sin are such a dark topic, but Florence keeps Dante’s message alive in a way that brings people closer and helps them to understand the differences we have as individuals make the connection we have stronger. Dante is still represented in a such a powerful light that he exemplifies the beliefs of the Italian Renaissance. Life is only so long; make the most of everyday and understand that death is not the end, it’s only the beginning of something new.
It’s still incomprehensible that the Florentines pass this history everyday and for that, and the delectable gelato, I am incredibly jealous. 
