Che spettacolo!

I had wanted to see Roberto Benigni in his one-man show Tutto Dante for a while now. A few friends of mine wanted to come, but then couldn't make it. Then, I was going to go by myself, but that didn't appeal to me.

Living in Florence :: Che spettacolo!

I planned on having an aperitivo with a friend of mine this evening. We were going to meet at Moyo, but instead went to another locale (place) in Piazza Santa Croce.

We walked out of the restaurant's front door, and sat on their terrace, which was closed because of the spettacolo. We were allowed to sit there and watch the spettacolo as long as we didn't make any noise.

Benigni interpreted the canto by section, which he had written down on a music stand. He was presenting il XXVI canto dell'Inferno of the Divina Commedia by Dante. You can read it here in English, if you're interested.

Each night he interprets and recites a different canto.

Afterwards, Benigni recited the entire canto by heart. An incredible feat that was even more amazing to watch and hear.

During his final recitation, the buildings on both sides of the Piazza Santa Croce were lit in orangey-red and the chiesa (church) had a dark blue hue on it. The statue of Dante was lit up and stood majestically to Benigni's left.

My pictures aren't of great quality because I had to take them with my cell phone. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but I didn't try to take one until I saw all the people in front of me pulling out their cell phones.

It was an exceptional opportunity to be in Piazza Santa Croce for this magnificent event, and I feel very fortunate to have been present for it.

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