Roberto Benigni reciting Dante

Yesterday the big square was full of excited people waiting for Roberto Benigni to come and recite Dante’s “Divina Comedia”. We sat at the square waiting for more than four hours in order to have a good spot and to be able to see him clearly. When he entered the stage everyone got crazy and started screaming and shouting The performance was great and Benigni was so incredibly much fun! He joked about Italian politicians and about how he doesn’t have so much material anymore as Berlusconi is not the president of the republic any longer. We laughed so much when he described all kind of funny things that happened when he met different politicians and famous people. After more than two hours of stand-up comedy he started reciting the most famous part of the “Divina Comedia”, which is obviously the “Inferno” where Dante and Virgile meet Paolo and Francesca who was sent to hell by God because of unfaithfulness and betrayal. The scenery was spectacular and the whole square was lightened up by red spotlights as he recited. It was a very emotional moment indeed. As for the rest you probably all remember that Benigni directed and acted in the film “La vita è bella” (Life is beautiful) which really is a film worth remembering. Reciting Dante’s “Inferno” he really showed, once again, that he is not only a brilliant comedian but also a great actor with a message to tell.