The Dante Alighieri Society was formed in Italy in July 1889 with the intention of creating a society to promote Italian culture and language around the world.
The society was named after Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), a pre-Renaissance poet from Florence and the author of The Divine Comedy, who is considered the father of the Italian language. The sole purpose of the Dante Alighieri Society is to promote the study of the Italian language and culture throughout the world & a purpose independent of political ideologies, national or ethnic origins or religious beliefs, and that the Society is the free association of people not just Italians but all people everywhere who are united by their love for the Italian languages and culture and the spirit of universal humanism that these represent.