The “tree that lives on the top” (Divine Comedy, Paradise, 18: 28-30) is the guiding metaphor of Giuseppe Penone’s presentation, Alberi in versi at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence. 

Alberi In-Versi, which translates to 'In-verse Trees,' includes over thirty drawings, photographs, sculptures, and installations. Presented as part of a yearlong celebration honoring Dante, on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of his death, the exhibition is inspired by the plant symbolism in “Paradise,” the third and final part of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Earlier this year, Penone’s monumental sculpture Abete (Fir) (2013) was installed in the Piazza della Signoria in anticipation of this exhibition.