ROME -- An exhibition designed to bring the ‘Divine Comedy’ to life will be on show in Florence’s picturesque Villa Bardini Peyron from Sept. 29 to Feb. 2017. 

 The project, curated by Lucia Fiaschi, will include readings of the text by Pierfrancesco Favino, an actor known for his appearances in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘Night at the Museum’, with a backdrop of paintings by the Tuscan artist Venturino Venturi.

 Numbering 54 in total, these will bring Dante into the present by shedding a contemporary light on the great epic poem. Along with his close friend and poet Mario Luzi, Venturi spent much of his life trying to modernise the Divine Comedy, and given the latter's reputation as a great interpreter of the culture of the second half of the 20th century, the result looks to be a fascinating one.

 The work will be made more vivid still by multimedia installations. Screens stationed around the exhibition will reproduce the fantastical world of Dante’s Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, with illustrations starting with Botticelli in the 15th century and ending in the 20th with Venturi’s work.

 The project will also benefit from a rich and diverse schedule of activities for students, including guided tours and interactive workshops for schools. There will also be seminars on graphics and photography for secondary schools, giving students the opportunity to work on and produce an e-book about the Divine Comedy.

 The exhibition will be funded and promoted by the Generali Group as part of their ‘Valore Cultura’ programme, which aims to make great works of art more accessible to a widening audience, as well as creating value for the local area.

 The project will also be sponsored by the Commune of Florence and by the Dante Society, along with the help of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, and is being organised by the Fondazione Parchi Monumentali of Bardini and Peyron. 

 Admission will be free for the duration of the exhibition.