 FACT: Miss Brody presents a slide show to the class. She tells a  tale of how Dante Alighieri fell in love with Beatrice Portinari  when they met at the old bridge (Ponte Veccio) in Florence. Miss  Brody says: "He (Dante) was a man in his middle years, she  (Beatrice) was 14, that can happen, a mature man can fall in love  with a young girl." This simply cannot be true as Dante was born in  1265 and Beatrice was born just a year later in 1266. Dante was not  a mature man when he met her. He was 9 years old when he met  Beatrice, with whom he fell in love "at first sight", even though  they havent spoken a word. They often exchanged greetings in the  street, but he never really knew her well. His love for her was  unrequited. He effectively set the example for the medieval concept  of "courtly love".