Dante's Plaque: Galigai Tower

. . . ED AVEA GALIGAIO DORATA IN CASA SUA GIÀ L'ELSA E'L POME.

DANTE, PAR., XVI, 101-102.

…AND ALREADY GALIGAJO HAD HILT AND POMMEL GILDED IN HIS HOUSE.

Among the noble members that Dante and Cacciaguida mention in this canto, there is the Galigai family, who had the privilege, granted to noble knights by Charlemagne, of having the pommel and the hilt of the sword guilded. The towers of the ancient Galigai family were located in Via dei Cerchi, in one of the oldest areas of the historic center of Florence, where now there is one single building. The plaque has been affixed onto the tower, at the intersection of Via dei Cerchi and Piazza dei Cimatori.

To find out more about tower houses in Florence, click here.