Palazzo Portinari Salviati in Via del Corso 6 belonged to Folco Portinari, Beatrice’s father, a banker and founder of the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova in 1288. Although it is known as Beatrice’s House, it was actually her family home, where she grew up and spent her childhood but not where she lived after her marriage. As you walk past this house and round the corner to the Church of Santa Margherita dei Cerchi, you can imagine how Dante must have felt, anxious and anxiously waiting for his beloved muse to appear.
