Italy is marking the 700th anniversary of the death of the mediaeval poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri, known as the Father of the Italian language, with hundreds of commemorative events taking place throughout 2021.

Unveiling the programme on 6 March, Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschini made reference to the last verse of Inferno (Hell) from The Divine Comedy: 'E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.' "We are all waiting to see the stars again," said Franceschini, "listen to music, see theatre, watch cinema together in the wonderful Italian piazze."