Beatrice Portinari is seen throughout the book of “Dante's Divine Comedy”. Meet Dante originally in the year 1274, on May Day in Florence, Italy. Beatrice comes from a wealthy Florentine family and was eight years old the first time they met and didn't say a word to each other (Cotter, 21). She was the main inspiration for Dante's La Vita Nuova, a book about Dante's love bond with her (Passages to the Past). Dante and Beatrice met only twice, but Dante was so touched by both meetings that he shared his love for Beatrice with the reader. The second meeting occurred when they met on the streets of Florence. She turned and greeted him; this filled him with such joy that he ran to his room and began to dream of her. Beatrice died at the age of twenty-four. This meeting gave rise to the first sonnet of La Vita Nouva, which he wrote in 1293 (Rosetti). Beatrice sees Dante in the book "Dante the Divine Comedy" when she has to travel through the underworld. He represents divine love, and it is his concern that drives Dante to seek Virgil as his guide. Since Virgil lived before Christianity, he lives in limbo with other non-Christians (NovelGuide.com). Trusting in Beatrice, Dante trusts Virgil, who gets him through hell. Virgil is used as Dante's expert guide through the underworld and into heaven (NovelGuide.com). Dante was told in Canto II, as he was losing his way, that Beatrice came down from heaven into limbo to find Virgil and explain to him her concern for Dante. Beatrice is there to spiritually guide Dante up to heaven (NovelGuide.com). Virgil explains to Dante that the lady who came down to be led by Virgil had “eyes [that] shone brighter than the star...... in the center of the card......medy.com, 7 June 2012. Network. 05 May 2014."Dante's Purgatory - Earthly Paradise." Dante's Purgatory - Earthly Paradise. The University of Texas at Austin, nd Web. May 05, 2014."Divine Comedy: Character Profiles." Guide to the novel. Np, nd Web. 02 May 2014. La Vita Nuova." The New Life IX. Np, nd Web. 01 May 2014. "Inferno Canto I: 1-60 The dark wood and the hill." Dante: The Divine Comedy. Trans. AS Kline. PoetryInTranslation.com, 2000. Web. 05 May 2014. Malik, Keenan. "A BOOK IN PROGRESS [PART 8]: DANTE, POET OF THE SECULAR Np, nd Web: Dante, Beatrice and La Vita Nuova." Passages to the past: Dante, Beatrice and La Vita Nuova. Www.passagestothepast.com, nd Web. 05 May 2014.Rosetti, Dante Gabriel. "Romance: Dante & Beatrice Romance: Dante and Beatrice.com, nd Web, 05 May 2014.