Tra Selva e Stelle, the Divine Comedy on stage at Boboli for a day

On 6 September, the Medici park becomes the setting for Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.

The Boboli Gardens will be transformed into a theatre and in its evocative spaces, where art and nature coexist in perfect harmony, Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise will be staged. This is what will happen on the afternoon of 6 September, with Tra selva e stelle, a live performance produced by the Uffizi Galleries and Archètipo Associazione Culturale, on the occasion of the Celebration of 700 years since the death of Dante Alighieri.

For the first time ever, a theatrical itinerary through the places and characters of the Divine Comedy will come to life in the Medici park: a journey through Dante's otherworld represented in Boboli by 36 stops, each of which will host installations created especially for an extraordinary occasion of 'widespread theatre'.

Boboli

"Recurrences are never accidental. The 700th anniversary of Dante's death is situated at a significant moment, in the year 2021, following the Inferno that we experienced in 2020" - said the director of the Uffizi Galleries Eike Schmidt - "In the fourteenth century the Boboli hill was still an undeveloped place, a 'dark forest' from which it is not difficult to imagine the 'Ghibellin fuggiasco' contemplating the centre of the medieval city. In this natural space, the Uffizi Galleries invite the public to rediscover the voice of the Poet, following his guide, from tercet to tercet, in a journey of ascension that will take the spectators from Hell, through Purgatory, to the landing in Paradise: all together, to 'see the stars again' ".

In each stage of the journey, the characters of the Divine Comedy will interpret their individual condition of damnation, redemption or beatitude; their respective roles, as in Dante's poem, will also be intimately linked to their metaphorical relationship with the surrounding space.

Boboli Gardens

All the settings selected for the performance will be animated by sets and installations that will allegorically represent the essential aspects of the three Canticles: death is the theme chosen for Hell, salvation will lead us through Purgatory, and the concept of ascension to a higher state of existence will be the key theme of the experience of Paradise.

There are many collaborations that reflect the spirit of the initiative. These include the collaboration with the Azienda USL Toscana Centro, LILT "Lega italiana per la Lotta contro i Tumori", and "Teatro come differenza", testifying to the social and inclusive nature of the show in which, just as in Dante's Comedy, all of humanity, in all its complexity and richness, finds a place.

Boboli Gardens

Reservations are compulsory and can be made by calling 055 294883. The full price ticket (reservation included) costs 13 euros, reduced price ticket for young people from 18 to 25 years old costs 5 euros (reservation included). The cost of the reservation alone is 3 euros for those entitled to free admission to museums (click here for all other information about the event).