Daily readings and tributes at Dante's tomb to honour his 700th death anniversary

School children stand in front of poet Dante Alighieri's tomb, in Ravenna, Italy. Photo: AP

As she has each evening for the last eight months, Giuliana Turati opened her well-worn copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy as the last of 13 peals of a church bell reverberated around the tomb of the great Italian poet.

Italy is honouring Dante Alighieri - who died in exile from Florence on Sept 13,1321 - in myriad ways on the 700th anniversary of his death. Those include new musical scores and gala concerts, exhibits and dramatic readings against stunning backgrounds in every corner of the country. Pope Francis has written an Apostolic letter, the latest by a pope examining Dante’s relationship with the Roman Catholic Church.