In the middle of the road of life,
 Wandering, I found myself through the dark forest
 In which the straight trail was lost. 
 Oh! to say what it was, was a hard thing,
 This wild, rough, and strong jungle
 That renewed the dread in my mind! 
 So bitter it was, that only death was worse!
 But when counting the evil that I found there,
 I would say I found the good by luck. 
 I couldn't explain how I got in there
 So sleepy I was in the instant
 In which I left that certain path. 
 I came to the foot of a dominant hill,
 Where that gloomy valley ended,
 With terror sinking in my chest.
 I looked up, and I already saw the hill
 Clothed in the rays of the planet
 That led everyone everywhere.
 Then fear got a little quiet,
 From the heart to the serene lake,
 Passed the anguish of a restless night. 

From “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri

(Translated by Louis Villalba)

Last September, my patient and friend Victor Giustino passed away.  I was in Spain when this sad event happened. I had talked to him, but he never mentioned the surprise I would get when I arrived in the US.  He had subscribed me to Fra Noir, a Chicagoland Italian American Magazine.  It reads at the top, “Embrace your Inner Italian.” Victor knew me well and realized how much I love Italian culture. The September issue was dedicated to Dante Alighieri. He belongs among the greatest writers of all times like William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, Leon Tolstoy, Victor Hugo.  Written in 1320, the above verses are at the beginning of his first volume, “Hell.” All Italian students learn them by heart:

  In the middle of the road of life,
 Wandering, I found myself through the dark forest,
 In which the straight trail was lost.