Inside the cathedral in Florence, just before the presbytery, on the left aisle wall, there is a painting of Dante (1265-1321). It is a wonderful visual biography of this much-loved national icon. It was placed here in 1465, on the bicentenary of the great poet’s birth.

The Florentine painter Domenico di Michelino was commissioned for the work by the committee of the cathedral, the elected body of laymen and men of the cloth responsible for the maintenance and decisions concerning the cathedral square.