Paolo e Francesca da Rimini

A mysterious story of love and death that for centuries has fuelled the imagination of artists and poets from Dante (5th Canto of the Inferno) to D’Annunzio, who dedicated his poem Francesca da Rimini to his beloved Eleonora Duse.
 
Francesca, the daughter of the Lord of Ravenna, was married to a member of the Malatesta family, the old Giovanni Gianciotto (Giovanni the Lame), whereas Paolo, young and handsome, was her husband’s brother. An innocent, but adulterous love, that was discovered and punished with death.

Many historical references confirm that the crime took place in Rimini in the 'red houses' near Sant’Andrea gate, the Malatesta family’s first residence, even if the Pesaro, Gradara, Verucchio, Meldola, Giaggiolo and Bellaria all claim to be the setting of this tragic event. 

Rimini is one of the seats of the International Center for Francesca da Rimini Studies [Centro Internazionale di Studi Francesca da Rimini], that was conceived in 2006 at a conference on Dante at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), when a group of scholars from various universities around the world made a commitment to promote and facilitate the study and research of Francesca da Rimini and her myth through cultural, scientific, and educational activities.
Since 2007, the Center  has organized events, academic conferences, lectures and so on.

For info: www.francescadarimini.it