Italy, Siena. Repubblica (1211-1250). Grosso da 12

Siena Republic 1211-1250 ag / coarse from 12 Mir. 479 NS. 1. 80 Spl patinated! On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Dante's death (1265-1321) , Catawiki is dedicating an auction to the Supreme Poet focused on the coins of his time and on those related to the characters of his Divine Comedy. # dante700memorial SIENA AND DANTE Siena is among the Tuscan cities, apart from Florence, the most remembered by Dante, both directly and through the various Sienese characters, the episodes of which they are protagonists, the historical or news events to which the poet refers. Even if there is no documented evidence of his stay in the city, there seems to be no doubt that Dante knew Siena very well, perhaps better than other Tuscan cities; his familiarity with Sienese affairs had indeed to be facilitated by the good political relations that existed at the time with Florence. Dante shows that he is well aware of the city, even in detail, of things, facts and places. The poet probably met in person, in Siena and elsewhere, various Sienese citizens. The rhyming Benuccio Salimbeni (husband of a Baldesca, daughter of Sapia) for example, and Cecco Angiolieri, with whom Dante had personal and direct relationships. Boccaccio and Piccolomini, tell that Dante used to go to read books at a Spezieria near Piazza del Campo. There are numerous Sienese characters (or those who lived and worked in Siena) present in the Comedy: there are some characters who have lost their historical importance over time, while others have remained in the collective memory. Among the less known there is this "LANO", probably belonging to the Maconi family, who launched himself against certain death in the battle of Pieve al Toppo, near Arezzo, in 1287, but also "ALBERO da Siena", believed by all son of Bishop Buonfigliolo, but passed off by the latter, for obvious reasons, as a nephew. A little more famous, another character from the Divine Comedy by the name of "CAPOCCHIO", companion of Dante. We do not know why this Capocchio betrays the poet's trust. From the documents we know instead that he was a coin forger and that he was condemned to the stake. The events of the “BRIGADE SPENDERECCIA”, also known as “godereccia” or “spendarina”, are much more well known. In the Divine Comedy they are mentioned as a group of wealthy Sienese young people who quickly dissipated all their possessions in food, women and games. Much better known was “GHINO DI TACCO”, a thug and scoundrel, but with a gentleman's disposition. Dante also writes of PIA DE 'TOLOMEI in canto V of Purgatory: the fame of this passage is mainly due to the halo of mystery that surrounds the figure of the woman, recognized today by critics as a sweet Sienese lady married to Nello dei Pannocchieschi. In 1297 the man allegedly had the woman murdered, having her thrown out of a window, after having locked her up for a while in his castle, perhaps due to the discovery of her never proven infidelity, perhaps to get rid of her, wishing for a new marriage.