08 September 2012

Dante in La Turbie


Don't you just love that a verse from Dante's Divine Comedy is engraved on a wall in La Turbie? 

You see this near to the post office - before you enter the Medieval village.  It speaks of the difficulties in accessing the village long ago.  I found this translation:


'Twixt Lerici and Turbia, the most desert,
The most secluded pathway is a stair
Easy and open, if compared with that.'

The tourist office of La Turbie translates it as 'The most solitary and deserted road between Lerici and La Turbie is close to this one with large and easily climbed steps”.

Dante lived from 1265 - 1321 and this was the first literary mention of La Turbie.

The other inscription, just along from Dante's is taken 'from the itinerary of Antonin, that described La Turbie as the “Alp Summa”, where Italy ended and La Gaule commenced.'




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