The Dante Alighieri Society () is a society that promotes

Italian culture The culture of Italy encompasses the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, and customs of the Italian peninsula throughout history. Italy has been a pivotal center of civilisation, playing a crucial role in the development of Western culture. I ...

and language around the world. Today this society is present in more than 60 countries. It was formed in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in July 1889. The society was named after

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

(1265–1321), a pre-

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

poet from

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and the author of ''

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest wor ...

''. Dante is considered the father of the Italian language. In October 1948 the society was restructured at a meeting in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

to give total autonomy to all chapters of the Dante Society so that each could conduct its activities independently, under the direction of its own elected officers, in a manner that best suited local needs, preferences, and capacities while adhering to the Society's basic principles. In July 2019 at the International Congress in Buenos Aires, the Società Dante Alighieri adopted a new statute stating that “the foreign committees are subject to the regulations dictated by their own legislation” and that in each committee’s “Constitution must be clear reference to the inspiring principles of the Società Dante Alighieri, the sharing of its aims and objectives and the need to sign the ''Convenzione di Affiliazione'' that governs the relationship between the Società Dante Alighieri and the committees.”

The cultural role of Dante Alighieri

The sole purpose of the Dante Alighieri Society is to "promote the study of the Italian language and culture throughout the world... a purpose independent of political ideologies, national or ethnic origins or religious beliefs, and that the Society is the free association of people – not just Italians – but all people everywhere who are united by their love for the Italian languages and culture and the spirit of universal

humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and Agency (philosophy), agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The me ...

that these represent." The society operates throughout the world, with branches from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Many societies offer language courses, ranging from tourist and beginner's Italian to advanced courses in addition to their cultural activities. Some of them are recognized as ''Centro d'esame autorizzato PLIDA'' - the Italian Certification Exam offered by Società Dante Alighieri. In 2005, the Dante Alighieri Society (along with the

Alliance française (; "French Alliance", stylised as ''af'') is an international organization that aims to promote the French language and francophone culture around the world. Created in Paris on 21 July 1883 under the name ''Alliance française pour la propa ...

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...

Instituto Cervantes Instituto Cervantes (, the Cervantes Institute) is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of ''Don Quixote'' and perhaps the most important fi ...

, and

Instituto Camões The Instituto Camões ( English: ''Camões Institute''), formally, Camões — Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I. P. ( English: ''Camões — Institute for Cooperation and Language, Public Institute''), is a Portuguese international inst ...

) was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanities. In 2021, to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the death of the father of the Italian language, the Società Dante Alighieri launched Dante.global the most authoritative on-line platform for the Italian language and culture. A new digital hub that gives new life and impetus to the dissemination of the Italian language and culture throughout the world, in the age of digital knowledge and lifelong learning.

Recognition

In 2005 Dante Alighieri Society was awarded the

Prince of Asturias Award The Princess of Asturias Awards (, ), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 (), are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals ...

along with the

, the

, and the

References

{{Authority control Cultural promotion organizations Dante Alighieri Educational institutions established in 1889 Learned societies of Italy

The cultural role of Dante Alighieri

Recognition

See also

References