Dante's Tomb (Tomba di Dante), Ravenna

The Tomba di Dante (Dante's Tomb) in Ravenna marks the final resting place of Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), author of the Divine Comedy and the figure credited with establishing the Italian literary language. Exiled from Florence in 1302 on politically fabricated charges, Dante spent his final years moving between courts in northern Italy before settling in Ravenna under the protection of the Polenta family. He died in Ravenna on 13 September 1321 while returning from a diplomatic mission to Venice, aged 56. His remains were initially buried in the church of San Francesco adjacent to the present tomb and were later moved to the current small neoclassical mausoleum, built in 1780 by Camillo Morigia on Via Dante Alighieri. The plain exterior in white Istrian stone gives no indication of the literary significance within. Inside, an oil lamp above the sarcophagus burns continuously — fed by oil donated annually by the city of Florence as a symbolic act of penance for exiling the poet. The sarcophagus itself is a simple Roman marble container from the 3rd century AD. The adjacent church of San Francesco contains a small crypt with early Christian mosaics and fish swimming in the flooded floor, visible through protective glass. A Dante museum (Museo Dantesco) on Via Dante Alighieri, 100 metres from the tomb, holds portraits, manuscripts, and illustrations from editions of the Divine Comedy. The tomb is a pilgrimage site for Italian literature students and scholars from across the world; visits are brief given the interior holds only the sarcophagus, and the atmosphere is genuinely hushed. Entry is free.