77th Annual Columbus Day Parade: A Tribute to Dante Alighieri

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This year, the city of Florence, the nation of Italy, and the entire world are commemorating the 700th Anniversary of the death of the great Florentine poet, Dante Alighieri (c. 1265-1321).

On October 11, 2021, this segment was broadcast on ABC-7 in New York, and was a focal point of the Columbus Day special produced by the Columbus Citizens Foundation. The video features interviews with Dario Nardella (Mayor of Florence), Eike Schmidt (Director of the Uffizi Galleries), Cristina Manetti (President of Casa Dante), Paola D'Agostino (Director of the Bargello National Museum), and Ilaria Ciseri who curated the exhibition on Dante that is now on view at the Bargello through January 6, 2022.

Paola Vojnovic is featured in "Dante's Church" at the presumed Tomb of Beatrice Portinari, Dante's muse and, in his timeless poem, The Divine Comedy (Divina Commedia),  his guide through Paradise.  The Divine Comedy, a long narrative poem begun c. 1308 was completed in 1320, a year before his death.  It is widely considered to be the preeminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature.

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"When the World Answered"​ A PBS/WFYI Production

When the World Answered looks back at the Herculean worldwide efforts to save and restore the artwork of Florence after massive flooding in November 1966 destroyed many of the city’s most priceless treasures, including works in Santa Croce which became “ground zero” in the disaster. Filmed by PBS producer Kim Jacobs, the documentary also explores the modern-day efforts to recognize the women artists who made such significant contributions during Florence's time of need.

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