Football and social networks: “Dante Alighieri narrates Serie A”

Was football born in England or in Florence? We cannot believe someone preferred to stop drinking his beer to get together to twenty-one people to play under the rain, through the fog and suffering the cold weather, running to kick that ball. But we also cannot understand why the greatest poet in history, Dante Alighieri, didn’t write about soccer on his masterpiece. We don’t demand the heaven, of course. 

Then, one fine day, we met “Dante Alighieri narrates Serie A” and we finally understand it. The highest poet doesn’t talk about football in one period or page because the whole masterpiece is a kind of connection between football and the way it could be heaven, purgatory and hell. 

That was a misunderstanding, simply. 

Hi Luigi, First question is so simple: why? Why Dante and why football? 

"Said soon: I am so linked to both of them, Dante and soccer. Also, there are some Facebook pages that were talking about Italian championship using a different way, a kind of literature way to describe that. For example, using De Andrè or Guccini or De Gregori songs and verses. My choice about Dante was to show another kind of point of view." 

One hundred songs, how do you find every time the right one? It is a huge work, and every time we read it, again and again, it seems always better to describe the posted picture. 

"That’s not an easy work: sometimes memory is useful, especially about most famous verses. Otherwise, we live in a lucky age, there are some Dantesque “searching engine”, the concordance, and we just have to write a word to find all the verses where that word is written, then we choice. Sometimes users suggest verses or ideas, and often I post those ideas."

Three different Italian Serie A ages which look like heaven, hell and purgatory, and why. 

"Eighties and nineties are definitely the heavens, because it was the “most beautiful championship in the world” age, because of all the Italian and foreigners champions who played in Italy. Last two years, especially the current one, are the hell because the competition seems always done on the top and the from the bottom, the last in classroom already doomed (lasciate ogni speranza!) Purgatory is the after Calciopoli years, during the Juventus' relegation and the suffering age, until the new Juventus rise to re-see (three) stars."

We think any other championship is like the Italian one, it is the only one that perfectly explains “selva oscura” concept. What character playing in Serie A or who played in Serie A remember you these other Dantesque character: Caronte, Ugolino, Beatrice, Paolo e Francesca (even two men), Catone Uticense?

"Catone Uticense is Zeman, of course, because of his integrity and moral intransigence. Beatrice to Paola Ferrari, the sport journalist, basically due to the celestial light around her. Virgilio could be Andre Pirlo, because of his technical knowledge and strategy wisdom. Caronte is Carlo Mazzone swearing runner at the Atalanta spot in stadium after Baggio’s goal. Zenga and Varriale are definitely Paolo e Francesca, so lovely together (check on youtube). Ugolino could symbolize Antonio Cassano meals, so hard to digest."

Which teams look like Guelfi and Ghibellini rivalry? 

"Definitely Juventus and Inter, because their rivalry made by charges and poisons could break this country as anything else, especially from 2006." 

Complicated question moment: Ddantesque’s work is fundamental because it gave a great contribution to language evolution in our country, generally in Europe. Of course language concept has to be universally understood, not just the word coming from the mouth. Football could be one of those universal way to communicate? 

"Of course. About using soccer as language, with poets and prose writer, Pier Paolo Pasolini already masterfully wrote."

One verse for nss sports.

“Guai a voi, anime prave!”