Morte a Venezia : per la morte di Dante : l'invenzione e i documenti

The study of important, newfound documents in the State Archives of Venice prompts these reflections on Dante's death (1321), which is usually linked to the exiled Florentine's mission as Ravenna's ambassador to Venice. Influential factors are the historical circumstances relating not only to the salt trade in the Adriatic basin that prompted the politico-diplomatic expedition but also – and especially – to the salt wars between Venice and Ravenna during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The conclusion, which leads to significant new hypotheses for Dante studies and beyond, is that Dante's mission in Venice is to be considered a historiographical construct rather than a historical hypothesis.