Whereas students used to learn the writings of Dante within the four walls of their classrooms, Italian teenagers now are flocking to nightclubs to hear the 14th century poetry of the literary great.

Passages from Dante's works including The Divine Comedy have been set to music by leading Italian disc jockey, Alessio Bertallot which aptly accompanies Italian actress Lucilla Giagnoni's reading.

Bertallot's music ranges from rock to jazz and techno dance music, making it so popular that the show has been scheduled to make a tour of Italy early next year which would culminate with a night at Rome's prestigious Auditorium venue.

"The poetry is great for shouting out loud," remarked Giagnoni. "The words are so strong that when you hear them in public, in a group, everyone stops to take note."

"We wanted to bring theatre into the clubs. On the stage there is just me and Lucilla," Bertallots said. "She recites Dante, and I also read various bits in a sort of rap.

"But my main job is to construct a soundscape for a voyage into the Dantean circles of hell," the disc jockey said. ""I'm no expert on The Divine Comedy. I studied it at secondary school, and then Lucilla helped me through it."

"I selected the songs because of their emotional effect."