Lessons from Dante Alighieri on the path from self-knowledge to… the sky as “limit”

Not everyone has gotten their hands on “Inferno”, “Purgatory” or “Paradise” from the Divine Comedy, but there is no one who has not felt the influence of Dante Alighieri’s three-part giant poem. The timeless echoes of this masterpiece have been magnificently drawn by Sandro Botticelli, Eugène Delacroix, and Salvador Dalí; are heard in the symphonies of Franz Liszt and Tchaikovsky; and never cease to inspire today’s popular culture, from movies to video games to comic books: and Marvel’s X-Men superhero team, along with Doctor Strange, descend through the nine circles of hell as Dante described.

Of course, The Divine Comedy and its author – who is one of the greatest writers in history – also receive due recognition from the Italian houses of classic and modern prestige in the writing instruments, Montegrappa and Pininfarina, whose creations on this subject are moved later in this text.

Detail of Botticelli’s drawing for The Divine Comedy / Graffiti from Ravenna with Dante on a bicycle

But beyond the poetic mastery with which Dante captured his powerful vision of the afterlife more vividly than the Bible, The Divine Comedy is full of practical lessons that trace man’s journey from self-knowledge to facing the consequences of this self-knowledge, i.e., his weakness, to ultimate salvation – or, if you like, success.

In this way, Dante provides lessons based on his own experience of the aforementioned ‘thorny path to the stars’ (per aspera ad astra): the death of his muse Beatrice caused him a profound crisis, which he overcame by deepening his philosophical and theological studies; and, incidentally, he not only enriched his education and culture, but, most importantly, he came to know himself better and developed a clear attitude towards truth and justice, that is, he acquired a high ethical consciousness.

But let’s not be indebted, let’s see what the great poet himself wanted to tell us – we will notice that Dante, who was the forerunner of the Renaissance, had an almost identical worldview to Leonardo da Vinci, about whom we wrote recently. Of course, the thoughts of the author of the Divine Comedy are expressed more poetically, which is understandable given his main vocation.

Thus there is much poetry in Dante’s lesson, which concerns the first stage of the road to success, namely self-knowledge, but not at the expense of practical effect:

“Heaven wheels above you, displaying to you her eternal glories, and still your eyes are on the ground!”, writes Dante of this stage of awareness, suggesting that the gaze should be uplifted and open when choosing a worthy goal for all the sacrifices which the path to it will require.

At the same time, the poet encourages questioning, and critical thinking without fear of the changes in our attitudes that knowledge can cause. Dante specifically said, “I love to doubt as well as know.”

And to make the best use of new knowledge, that is, to turn it into knowledge, he recommended, “He listens well who takes notes.”

“Divine Comedy” – Galileo Galilei’s copy

Dante Alighieri’s lessons for the second stage of the road to success, which is to face the consequences of knowing about ourselves and the world, are contained in the main message of his poetic descent into hell, which is an allegory for realizing the reality of our weaknesses. This stage is often difficult and painful, but there is no progress without this part of self-knowledge, that is, without taking responsibility for our future actions. The “hint” for success at this stage is given by Dante with the words, “Will cannot be quenched against its will.”

The great poet also has recommendations for the stage when the path is nearing its goal, that is when success begins to arrive. Dante connects these recommendations with light – the enlightenment gained in the previous stages, and with what is revealed to us in that light.

Dante says, “From a little spark may burst a flame”, and that “If you give people light, they will find their own way” – the latter seems to apply mostly to people in leadership positions.

The Florentine poet, who died in Ravenna, thought that in the newly acquired light, we should also see that “Beauty awakens the soul to act”. Also, we should learn from “Nature which is the art of God”.

The most recognizable portrait of Dante (by Botticelli) in Pininfarina’s campaign for the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death

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Dante, Pininfarina and Montegrappa

Dante Alighieri is one of the most credited with establishing the Italian language in literature – his predecessors preferred to write in Latin. He wrote The Divine Comedy, one of the most prized works of world literature, in spoken Italian.

Consequently, Dante’s work has received deserved recognition in the products of the prestigious Italian writing instrument houses Pininfarina and Montegrappa.

From the respective offer of Pininfarina, the world’s leading design house founded in Turin, we will highlight the Piuma Inferno model, dedicated to the most famous part of the Divine Comedy, which is “Inferno”.

This is a handcrafted instrument made from charred maple wood, expertly fire-treated according to centuries-old Japanese tradition to be durable and long-lasting. The dark tones of the Piuma Inferno allude to sin and darkness, the two elements that Dante Alighieri developed in the circles of his poetic vision of hell. The instrument has an Ethergraf tip that writes by microscopically “scratching” the paper and oxidizing it, leaving a trace like graphite, but as permanent as if it were written in ink. Ethergraf tips are virtually indestructible, which means they write endlessly. Each Piuma Inferno item is unique because, thanks to the manufacturing process described above, each finish is different.

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Montegrappa, the first Italian fountain pen manufacturer founded in Bassano del Grappa, has dedicated a limited edition of ultra-prestigious writing instruments to all three parts of the Divine Comedy.

The concept for the Dante Alighieri: Inferno model was meticulously executed in a lost-wax process so that the artists involved could illustrate in detail the sins and punishments in each of the nine circles of hell of the great poet’s journey through the afterlife.

In the model, Dante Alighieri: Purgatorio, glorious jeweler’s castings follow Dante’s journey through purgatory as he is absolved of his sins.

The “paradisiacal” model Dante Alighieri: Paradiso, with which Dante ends his Divine Comedy, is considered by Montegrappa to be one of the most beautiful in their rich history of the finest writing instruments.

The body of the three models is made of sterling silver and Montegrappite artisan resin, the nibs are 18k gold, and the details are of various precious metals.