Vita Nuova (New Life) is a book written by Dante Alighieri between 1292 and 1293. Considered the father of the Italian language, Dante Alighieri (Florence 1265 – Ravenna 1321) started writing from a very young age, was hugely influenced by poets from the stilnovismo movement and pursued theological and philosophical studies. He also took part in the political life of Florence until he was forced into exile.

Vita Nuova is a mix of poetry and prose. The core of this book, its heart, is the love that Dante feels for Beatrice. This work is precisely a celebration of that.

“From the narrative of their encounters unravels the hagiographic evocation of the “gentle woman” that is also an intimate memorial, at first profane and “courtly,” then increasingly imbued with mysticism, until Beatrice's death transforms earthly love into absolute love and the beloved into a means of spiritual, affective and poetic elevation and renewal.”

Dante sincerely tells the story of his deep love for Beatrice and in doing so he can depict and infuse an account of the most authentic and sublime form of love; “with solemnity and lightness of stroke, alternating between visionary glimpses and verses among the most intense of any time, giving us back a world of friendships and culture in a most vivid way.”

Vita Nuova is not only a book, but also another example of the mastery of perhaps the greatest author the Italian literature has ever seen. It is the image of the young Dante Alighieri, a diary, a symbolic biography and a masterpiece of prestigious poetry.

Dante’s book is not only inspired but it is also part of the literary movement of the dolce stil novo ('sweet style'). Against the backdrop of medieval literature, Dante wrote an autobiography of his love and creative life until 1294.

More specifically, Dante first met Beatrice at a party organized by her father – a banker from Florence – in 1274. He was nine years old, and she was eight.

Vita Nuova is the literary poetic expression of Dante’s love for Beatrice. It is composed of 25 sonnets, ballata, three canzoni and two incomplete canzoni of one stanza and two stanzas in length.

Another peculiarity of the work created by Dante is that Vita Nuova was the first book to combine poems and a prose commentary and include them in a manuscript of autobiographical and critical nature. In medieval times, such a feature of mixing these two elements – poetry and prose – was called prosimetrum narrative.

Dante’s work can represent a lot of different aspects, but perhaps most of all, “Dante Alighieri's Vita Nuova is his 'Book of Memory', the poetic account of his love for Beatrice Portinari. It is one of the great poetry books of love in world literature.”